12.COM. IF YOU’VE SEEN PLANTS INSIDE OFFICE BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN WINSTON-SALEM, YOU MIGHT WONDER WHERE THEY CAME FROM. AND TONIGHT’S 12 INSPIRES OUR SARAH SOWERS TAKES US INSIDE THE DECADES LONG MISSION TO BREATHE LIFE INTO THE PLACES WE WORK AND HEAL. FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS, ONE LOCAL BUSINESS HAS BROUGHT THE OUTDOORS IN BY SUPPLYING PLANTS TO OFFICES AND HOSPITALS ACROSS THE TRIAD. WE MAKE THE INSIDES OF YOUR BUSINESSES A WALK IN THE PARK. WHAT STARTED AS A DREAM IN A BASEMENT IN 1976 HAS BECOME A GROWING SUCCESS IN INDOOR PLANT SCAPING. OWNER ANGELIA LYNCH TOOK OVER THE OPERATIONS IN 2013 AND HAS BEEN SPREADING JOY WITH PLANTS EVER SINCE. I MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY WHEN I WALK IN A BUSINESS, AND I GOT A BIG OLD PLANT IN MY HAND. PEOPLE SMILE, WOMEN SMILE, EVERYBODY SMILES AND THEY SAY, I WANT IT, YOU KNOW, PUT IT IN HERE. SOME OF HER BIGGEST CLIENTS ARE ATRIUM HEALTH, WAKE FOREST BAPTIST AND R.J. REYNOLDS, BRIGHTENING UP SOME OF THE DARKEST SPACES WITH PLANTS THAT REQUIRE LITTLE SUNLIGHT. EVERY TWO WEEKS, HER TEAM CHECKS ON THEM, ENSURING EVERY LEAF IS IN PICTURE PERFECT CONDITION. I THINK WE ALL REMEMBER OUR GRANDMOTHERS HAVING A LOT OF PLANTS, SO I THINK THAT OUR BODIES REMEMBER THAT FEELING AND WE WANT TO RECREATE IT. YOU KNOW, THEY ALWAYS SAY THE MIND SEEKS THE FAMILIAR. AND I THINK THAT’S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS IT DOES IS CREATES A SENSE OF COMFORT. YOU CAN FIND A FULL LIST OF TIPS ON HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR INDOOR PLANTS ON OUR WEBSITE. WXII 12.COM REPORTING I
Women-owned business turns ‘A New Leaf’ in Winston-Salem
Updated: 5:50 PM EDT May 26, 2025
The plants displayed in atriums and lobbies at offices across the Triad may come from an unfamiliar source. One local plant shop has been beautifying Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, RJ Reynolds buildings and the Benton Convention center for decades, with no intention of slowing down. A New Leaf, a woman-founded and owned business in Winston-Salem will turn 50 years old next year.The current owner, Angelia Lynch, has been working at A New Leaf for more than a decade. Her mantra is simple: “We make the insides of your businesses a walk in the park.”The shop supplies fresh plants from Florida, silk plants, Christmas decorations and greenery rentals for events like weddings. Every two weeks, on a certain schedule, Lynch and her team of five employees water and tend to their clients’ plants.”I make people happy when I walk into a business and I got a big old plant in my hand,” Lynch said. “People smile, women smile, everybody smiles. And they’ll say, ‘I want it.’ Or, ‘Put it in here.'”Lynch also shared some tips for taking care of indoor plants. In some cases, plants like neglect, she said, and overwatering can do more harm than good. If the soil is dry and the leaves are turning yellow, your plant may need more water. If the soil is wet and leaves are turning yellow, it might be drowning, she said.
The plants displayed in atriums and lobbies at offices across the Triad may come from an unfamiliar source. One local plant shop has been beautifying Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, RJ Reynolds buildings and the Benton Convention center for decades, with no intention of slowing down. A New Leaf, a woman-founded and owned business in Winston-Salem will turn 50 years old next year.
The current owner, Angelia Lynch, has been working at A New Leaf for more than a decade. Her mantra is simple: “We make the insides of your businesses a walk in the park.”
The shop supplies fresh plants from Florida, silk plants, Christmas decorations and greenery rentals for events like weddings. Every two weeks, on a certain schedule, Lynch and her team of five employees water and tend to their clients’ plants.
“I make people happy when I walk into a business and I got a big old plant in my hand,” Lynch said. “People smile, women smile, everybody smiles. And they’ll say, ‘I want it.’ Or, ‘Put it in here.'”
Lynch also shared some tips for taking care of indoor plants. In some cases, plants like neglect, she said, and overwatering can do more harm than good. If the soil is dry and the leaves are turning yellow, your plant may need more water. If the soil is wet and leaves are turning yellow, it might be drowning, she said.
