Green thumbs - Foliage by Flora Inc.'s Flora Green and Jo Gillman as Entrepreneurial Woman Small-Business Owners of the Year - Entrepreneurial Woman

Fate may well have played a hand in the forming of Foliage by Flora Inc. "With the name Flora Green, I was destined to love plants," acknowledges the 50-year-old founder of the Miami-based interior/exterior landscape design and holiday decorations firm.

"Flora is our charmer," chimes in partner Jo Gillman, 52, describing the woman whose company she joined one year into operations. "She is the best public relations person anybody could want."

Actually, both Green and Gillman know a thing or two about charm - and, not incidentally, about growing a business. Together, the two have been selected as our grand prize winners for Entrepreneurial Woman Small-Business Owners of the Year.

"Jo and I just screamed and jumped up and down [when we found out we'd won]," laughs Green. "We were like two little kids."

Flash back to 1975, when a recently divorced Green decided to turn her passion for plants into a means of supporting herself and her 4-year-old son. "I only knew how to be a mother and a wife," she reflects. "That was about it."

That was the foundation for Foliage by Flora, nonetheless. With a mere $200, a green thumb and the encouragement of friends, Green pursued her entrepreneurial dreams. "When I first started, it was a one-lady operation," she explains. "I wore numerous hats, but I have to say I was never afraid. I enjoyed it."

When it was no longer practical to store plants in her apartment, Green moved her business inventory into pal Gillman's home. Gillman began to keep Foliage by Flora's books and, gradually, the two friends evolved into business partners. They've been going strong ever since, carefully nurturing a business that is healthy enough to have necessitated bigger and bigger warehouse facilities - and strong enough to have survived the damage to its offices by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

"This business has given me an opportunity to grow as a person," says Gillman, who projects Foliage by Flora will exceed $3 million in sales this year. "I had good people skills before, but I've got excellent ones now."

Green and Gillman give as good as they get: Their "Recycled Plants for Charity" program distributes thousands of dollars worth of "used" plants to local nonprofit groups every year. "It's basically a pay-back to our community," says Green. "They have helped us get where we are today . . . and we know the moines are going to a very good cause."

With some 500 clients - mostly commercial - Foliage by Flora has blossomed into a company in which both Green and Gillman can take great pride. Destiny, indeed.

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