A Tropical Haven

By Jennifer Colosimo

Every morning begins a daily grounding ritual for homeowners Troy Wells and Tom Sullivan. Barefoot, Wells says, they step out into a dew-covered yard to listen as butterflies warm their wings and watch hungry honeybees collect nectar. Palm fronds and banana leaves dance in the breeze and birds welcome the day with their melodies. By noon, the two have happily lost track of time hoping a dragonfly might land on their fingers. Then, just as evening comes, a majestic chorus of croaking frogs provides a little background music as lightning bugs light up the yard like diamonds. It reminds them that in a world filled with chaos, the feeling of peace is priceless.

“In the spring of 2022, I had a vision of this backyard paradise and in four months, it came together through a synchronized process,” said Wells, a longtime resident of Brookhaven’s Ashford Park and a top realtor at PalmerHouse Properties (where he shares his landscape design insight as often as he can). Wells’ backyard is his most recent passion project and a dream realized by the four-year cancer survivor as proof that you must live life to its fullest.

“Ricky with Atlanta Palms installed the palm trees—a must for any tropical garden—and the tranquil pond was constructed by John with Universal Aquatics,” Wells said. “Implementation was a lot of work. But it was worth it, and it all reminds us that together with nature we all have purpose and without the creatures of nature, we would exist no more.”

The babble of waterfalls, a visual collage of vibrant tropical foliage, the sweet, sensuous smell of Hawaiian ginger blossoms and the warm sun on their faces—to Wells, these are now gifts for the senses that he and Sullivan can enjoy every single day.

And while they might start the day grounded, a stroll through this paradise is actually pretty uplifting.