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Scott Junge became an entrepreneur at age 10. Decades later, his entrepreneurial path winded down two successful businesses he lives seven days a week, and enjoys every minute of it.
Junge and his wife, Lyn, own Rosedale Gardens in Gig Harbor, a nursery that specializes in landscaping plants. In addition, Junge is a landscape designer whose incredible gardens are unique and beautiful. The union between the nursery and the landscape design businesses is as harmonious as the landscapes Junge creates: He uses the vast acreage around Rosedale Gardens for landscaping projects that are as much a display of his talent as they are of the plants sold there.
Junge says the secret to his success is his early start. Starting out with a paper route, he was soon mowing some of his customers’ lawns, and by high school had a list of about 100 customers. He had to hire a small crew of helpers, and after getting a job at a hospital at age 15, soon started landscaping for co-workers. He got his general contractor license at 16.
“I learned a lot of the business lessons in the teen-age years,” he says. “I never focused on how much money I can make, but on how much I could give the customer.” He still uses that principle today.
The Junges recently added five more acres to the 20-acre property on which the main nursery is located — more “play area” for Scott. Over the years, he has built dozens of garden rooms at the nursery that weave in plants, hardscapes and art. People often stop by just to admire the surroundings and relax, and groups frequently drop in for visits.
They purchased the property nearly 20 years ago. They started out with just five acres that had a small nursery and a greenhouse. The young couple could barely afford to buy it, but immediately went to work: Scott remodeling their new home (located just across the parking lot from the gift shop), and Lyn learning all she could about plants. Over the years, they purchased more adjacent land, and now the nursery itself spreads over about seven acres that include a bamboo forest and a recently renovated nature trail. A second nursery location was added about 12 years ago that carries a smaller selection of plants.
Junge landscapes seven days a week, but the only time when he may see his work as a “job” is when it rains (and work goes on). The rest of the time, he’s just following his “hobby” and his passion.
“I think you can really call it an addiction. I’m not as happy or comfortable if I don’t get out to do something,” he says.
Often times, if he’s not landscaping for a customer or around the nursery, he can be seen in the family’s private garden, which he calls a work in progress. The garden is open to the public for events such as wedding receptions.
“The private garden is his place to play,” Lyn says.
The couple doesn’t draw a line between their business and family life. Their four children, in fact, grew around the business, and longtime customers watched them transform from tots to young adults. When they first moved to the area, Lynn found the nursery a great social outlet as a new mother. Many of their customers have become good friends.
The majority of Junge’s landscaping work is for residential customers. He does not take any commercial work unless the customer is willing to do it right. His work has taken him beyond Gig Harbor, and recently as far as Idaho. Landscaping outside the Pacific Northwest entailed a learning curve, but Junge likes a challenge. Even for local jobs, he looks for challenging projects, usually on the waterfront, steep slopes or other difficult terrain. Junge and his work have been featured in such media outlets as the Ed Hume show on television and Sunset magazine.
The business has afforded the couple the ability to focus on priorities. When the kids were younger, Lyn took time to volunteer at the schools and spend time with them. Scott coached, and they made family time important.
The Junges are well-known and respected in the local business community. With a perfect 14-year attendance record, Scott is active in Rotary, serving as a past president of the Gig Harbor club. He is currently a commissioner for the Gig Harbor Metropolitan Park District, was involved with the previous park district, was on the Gig Harbor Peninsula Chamber of Commerce board of directors, and actively participated in various efforts, including fund-raising for a new Gig Harbor museum and helping bring YMCA to Gig Harbor.
In response to the question of where he finds the time for everything while keeping a balance between work and play, Junge says, “It’s all priorities. Everybody has the time, it’s just a matter of how they choose to use it.”
Junge says anybody can be successful by focusing on making someone’s life better — and the money will come. “The key to success is doing something you love, something you have a passion for,” he says. | 
