Leelee's Garden

About Leelee (Leann Dameron)

Five years ago Leelee had a crazy idea, a flash in her mind of a beautiful garden restaurant called Leelee’s Garden. Twinkly lights, plants and flowers everywhere, incredible food, craft botanical cocktails, and hands-on workshops and design services on site. So far removed from her day-to-day at as an operations manager at an industrial distribution company, Leelee, who couldn’t shake the dream, started taking night school in food and horticulture, and interning weekends as a Master Gardener at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

After a couple years of learning all things food, plants and flowers, Leelee left her corporate role, started designing gardens and teaching botanical workshops in her now business, Leelee’s Garden. Since 2015, she’s taught workshops and demonstrations all over the country, for anywhere from 1-250 students. From floral design basics to air plant vertical gardens and gemstone terrariums, Leelee creates custom botanical art experiences for her students to create living works of art. Leelee also does event floral design and botanical installations.

After a few life twists and turns, two out-of state moves, and a year of adventuring in Bali, Southern France and going on 10-city Leelee’s Garden tour, this Spring, Leelee decided to move back to her adopted and beloved city, Chicago (she’s from San Diego), to start her current dream project of turning her apartment into a jungle and documenting the process.

​When she’s not teaching or doing floral and botanical design, Leelee loves exploring the city, getting inspired at gardens, new restaurants, bars with a good cocktail menu, nights out dancing, and seeing live music.