LINCOLN, Neb. — When Ella Jorgensen walks through the landscape, she doesn’t just see petals and stems — she sees potential.
Growing up in Cortland, Nebraska, just 25 miles south of Lincoln, Ella’s connection to nature began early. Her family’s backyard was a lush legacy left behind by the home’s previous owner, a master gardener. “Our whole yard was an oasis of perennials, shrubs, and trees,” Jorgensen said. “I grew up working outside. My dad had me pruning back shrubs and trees — it was just part of life.”
Ella initially pursued a medical track at Southeast Community College, but everything changed when she transferred to Agronomy & Horticulture at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and rediscovered her love of plants.
“I always knew I wanted to be in some kind of science,” she said. “I liked plants, but it wasn't something I thought you could pursue a career in, until I started working in the field.”
Her passion for horticulture quickly became evident to those around her — including her professors.
“Ella has as much passion for horticulture as pretty much any student I have had for the past 20 or 25 years, because she sees it — she doesn’t just look at it,” said Kim Todd, UNL Professor of Agronomy & Horticulture. “She understands how it is all a system, she puts it all together, and then turns her creativity loose on it.”
For the past four years, Ella has worked part-time at Campbell’s Nursery in Lincoln, where her knowledge — and passion — for horticulture flourished. While preparing plants in the greenhouse, she often removed spent blooms to promote new growth. She noticed how many beautiful flowers were discarded in the process, and that small detail sparked an idea.
Instead of letting the blooms go to waste, she began collecting, pressing, and preserving them — transforming what would have been thrown away into delicate works of art.
“I love plants, but they’re fleeting,” Jorgensen explained. “Sometimes you only get a flower for a month, a week, or even a day. Pressing them lets me capture the plant in its prettiest form.”
Ella now creates stickers, earrings, portraits, and other designs using real pressed flowers. After pressing and drying them, she seals each piece, turning fragile petals into translucent, durable artworks.
“Whenever I give someone a pressed flower, they always say, ‘That’s not real,'” she said, laughing. “But it is. The colors and patterns are amazing. It’s like storytelling through flowers — each one has a past, and I get to help it continue in a new form.”
The Crusty Leaf Company, a fitting name for Ella's business, is still in its early stages, but her creations can already be found in the ‘Buy Local’ section at Campbell’s Nursery.
Beyond their visual charm, Ella hopes her art inspires people to look at waste differently.
“A crusty old leaf — no one really looks at it,” she said. “But you can turn it into something beautiful. Even after something is no longer growing, there’s still beauty worth celebrating.”
Ella plans to graduate from UNL in May 2026 with a major in Plant and Landscape Systems. As she continues to grow her company, Ella hopes her work encourages others to pause, pay attention, and find wonder in the overlooked details of the natural world.
