Local Services
She Owns It: Colorgarden
Marcy Hostetler founded Colorgarden to help local residents, business owners, and municipalities learn about and plant native gardens.
When Marcy Hostetler set out to pursue a second career after retiring as a choral music director, she didn’t necessarily have starting a business in mind. Serendipitously, however, a friend had recently introduced her to the concept of native gardening, and as a lifelong learner, Marcy was intrigued to know more.
She enrolled in Mt. Cuba’s Ecological Gardening Certificate program where she discovered joy in the complexity of finding the right plant for the right place—and that’s when the vision for her own business really began to take root. Founded in 2025, Colorgarden invites local residents, business owners, and municipalities to work with Marcy on planting native gardens—living yards and landscapes that attract birds, butterflies, and native bees.
“Planting a native garden counteracts imbalances that happen when new plants are introduced to an area,” Marcy explained. “When a yard starts buzzing with insects, birds dig for food, and butterflies return, it feels like the ecosystem is waking up.”
Marcy and her growing team love getting their hands dirty and working closely with the land and with clients t o create something beautiful.
“Nature doesn’t thrive in highly manicured spaces with exotic plants,” Marcy said. “We love the challenge of bringing clients’ dreams to life while listening to the earth.”
As for being a woman-owned business in Lancaster, Marcy embraces collaboration and a relationship-centered approach—starting internally with her all-female team.
“Empowerment is at our core,” she said. “I really enjoy encouraging each team member to follow their passion, share knowledge freely, and empower the community as a whole to join in this work.”
With services from consultation and design to garden installation and stewardship, Colorgarden is poised to make a big impact in the c ommunity as they enter their second year.
“Our team is especially excited about working with SoWe—a Southwest Lancaster nonprofit—to create a pollinator bed near Culliton Park,” Marcy shared. “We love projects that bring public spaces and ecology together while also giving the community a chance to learn more about what we are trying to do.”
They invite you to reach out for a consultation on introducing your own native garden.
This featured was sponsored by Chesko and Cavallo, a woman-owned realty group serving Lancaster County and beyond.
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