Who is Ross NW Watergardens?

When you were in school you spent 30-40 hours a week with your teacher. You interacted with him or her almost every day, for months. You got to know her personality, sense of humor, pet peeves, maybe even a bit of her history. Then one day you are with your parents at the mall or grocery store and, out of nowhere, you see your teacher. At first you hardly even recognize her. Why is she dressed like that? Who is she with? You realize, with shock, "I don't know her at all"!

This is not the beginning of a post where I tell you personal details about the guy who mows your lawn or installs your sprinkler system. You probably don't need (or want) that. But, if you are going to have someone at your house for 40 hours a week, for a week or two or more- you might want to know a little about them. Our "About" page gives you a brief overview of Ross NW Watergardens. If that doesn't satisfy your curiosity, read on...

Ross Bowen is the founder and owner. He goes by Joe. As a kid he had an imaginary dog named Joe, and somehow he became Joe. Joe has been a landscaper for most of his life. His father, Ken Bowen, took an early retirement and started a landscaping company. Ken had 8 boys, so he figured he had the advantage of cheap labor. Most of the boys spent at least some time in the family business. When Ken retired four of them took over the company. Three of them still run landscaping companies, two in Phoenix and us in Portland.

Joe is the proud father of 5 children and has 3 (soon to be 40 grandchildren as well. He has always viewed his company as a way to support his family while allowing him to actually spend time with them. Ross NW Watergardens has only expanded when our family did.

If you are undertaking a landscape design or landscape construction project you will be dealing with Joe. He will be on site most days directly overseeing your project.

Ben Bowen, oldest son of Joe, is the Landscape Designer for Ross NW Watergardens. He worked in the family business as a teenager. After 5 years in Brooklyn and Connecticut he returned to the PNW and became a landscaper again. For the past 8 years he has been designing landscapes, overseeing landscape maintenance and managing our online presence.

Ben has 4 children and also values the flexibility provided by the family business. It's been said that working for your parent is either really good or really bad- for us it's pretty good!

Jose Ortega is now a member of the family as well, having married a Bowen daughter. Jose keeps our two crews running, delivering materials and hauling away stuff we don't need any more. He also serves as quality control, ensuring that Ben's designs and Joe's standards are upheld.

We all look forward to working with you and your landscape. We have many long time clients that have become friends over the years. Give us a call and see if we are a good fit for your family.