Face time with Mike Clesen

Mike Clesen, 36, of Elburn, was tending the plants and flowers at his green house, L&M Greenhouses in St. Charles Township, when Kane County Chronicle


Where did you grow up? St. Charles.

Immediate family? Parents, brother and wife.

Pets? Black Lab named Stella.

What's the last song you listened to? "Stella Blue" by the Grateful Dead.

Hobbies? Golf and fishing.

Favorite charity? Anything that deals with kids.

Do you have a favorite flower? Geraniums. They take a lot of care and it's peaceful working with them and they're always gorgeous.

Favorite food? Tacos.

Favorite local restaurant? JuRin Japanese Restaurant in Geneva.

What's your favorite thing about town you live in or where your store is? Both communities I've watched grow, and they have extremely friendly people.

What is an interesting factoid about yourself? I've been able to travel the globe – at least five countries – in search of new plants. You're not allowed to bring things back. The most exotic place I went was last November to Costa Rica. I saw how flower seed is actually produced. It does not just come out of the pod. It takes a 100-acre facility and many workers and up to five years to get a new variety of seed stable enough to market.