Terri Johnson Loftin is the owner of the The Plant Fairie in Fairhope, Alabama
Terri was born in Bay Minette, Alabama but fell in love with Fairhope as soon as she was old enough to skate. She moved quite a bit after college but none of the places ever felt like home. She fell in love in 1995. As fate would have it, Rusty lived in Fairhope. Terri opened The Plant Fairie in 1995 but closed the doors in 2001 to start a family.
The year before, Terri became interested in helping Rusty carry on the tradition of Alabama shorinji kempo, a Japanese philosophical martial art of the mind, body and soul, with a focus on self-defense. This is worldwide non-profit organization that Terri has devoted teaching two classes per week for the past 19 years.
The couple that introduced Terri to Rusty, also introduced her to her favorite leisure activity, sailing. They kept a modest sailboat moored in the Pirates Cove marina. Terri bought that boat from them, only to have Hurricane Ivan snap the mast in the process of destroying the marina in 2004. She brought her injured boat home to Fairhope and decided to join the Fairhope Yacht Club. Yet, raising babies and the ravages of Hurricane Katrina kept her feet on dry land until 2011. This was also the year that Terri’s interest in sailing began to evolve into her passion. She’s been a consistent weekly presence at the Yacht Club ever since. Bad weather, is the only thing that keeps her from navigating her boat on Mobile Bay after morning worship at Celebration Church.
Terri also reopened The Plant Fairie in 2011. Her kids were reaching more self-sufficient ages, yet she didn’t want to be far from home. So, she built a nursery in her yard. She grows every plant she sells, and supplies Greer’s Fairhope Market and Fairhope Piggly Wiggly. Annuals, Perennials, Succulents, herbs and house plants are Terri’s specialties. If you want to buy beautiful blooms or need help making your flower beds look beautiful, Terri is your who!
Her all time favorite plant is the Night Blooming Jasmine, as it emits a strong, sweet citrus scent at night. Terri has recently become interested in growing mushrooms, specifically Shiitake Mushrooms. She is currently preparing sweet gum logs, that serve as the organic garden for these healthy shrooms. If you keep the logs watered and in the shade, they will yield mushroom harvests for a few years.
