Founded on passion & ambition
This is our story.

 “Always do your best, and be consistent over time. People will notice… And come back over and over again.”

- John Mini, Founder

Founded in 1973 by John Mini, John Mini Distinctive Landscapes began as a small operation out of City Island, New York. Since then, the company has grown to be a nationally recognized leader in the landscaping industry.

But John Mini didn’t begin in landscaping.

John had goals of becoming a doctor - less a passion and more of an expectation. As he was preparing for medical school, John worked at a retail plant shop. In that shop, John kept getting the same question from his customers: Can you help take care of my plants?

John saw this as a unique chance to create a thriving business from his two passions: A love of nature and a fascination for the vibrancy and galore of New York City.

After getting permission from the owner to see if he could take care of the plants he sold, John Mini had his first clients.

Reimagining the urban landscape

With humble beginnings in the Bronx, John Mini Distinctive Landscapes began with local clients and restaurants. John always loved New York City - its hustle and bustle, its gritty charm, its thrilling New York minute - and in the city, he saw a distinct opportunity:

To create one-of-a-kind landscapes.

Guided by John Mini’s daring vision, the company undertook some of the largest and most complex indoor landscaping projects. From the maintenance of the lush indoor forest of the Ford Foundation Atrium, to the restoration of the Winter Garden after 9/11, John Mini brought green spaces to the concrete jungle.

In so doing, the company made itself known as innovators and mavericks - boldly creative in its seemingly impossible landscapes, and spearheaded by the kind of team who will roll up their sleeves to figure it out.

The original John Mini Distinctive Landscapes team.

Pushing the boundaries of imagination

The ambition to dream up wild landscapes with some of New York’s greatest designers and visionaries. The passion to imagine nature thriving in urban spaces. The mettle to make it work. The determination to sustain it.

This is John Mini’s legacy.

Today, John Mini Distinctive Landscapes creates and sustains some of the most iconic landscapes in New York City and beyond - and is proud to continue pushing the limits of possibility in landscaping.