- January 2, 2025
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Le Gardenia Bleu Florist Jon Mongeau got kicked out of kindergarten because he wouldn’t color in between the lines.
This was his first hint of creativity in his life. Now, as the in-house florist at the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, he creates floral arrangements for its new residents, decor and events.
While coming up with avant garde arrangements weekly, Mongeau can’t help but be reminded of his kindergarten self wanting to do something different.
Between the hotel arrangements, his floral studio and extravagant events he does across the country, he is grateful that he gets to color outside of the lines every day.
When Mongeau was 14 years old, he originally went into the seminary with the intention of becoming a cloistered priest. As a social and creative person, he knew that wasn’t his path, so he left when he was 18.
He ended up moving to New Hampshire to go to school for computer science. Inspired by his uncle and his own logical thinking, Mongeau became a programmer in Boston for 10 years.
After years behind the computer screen, he fell out of love with what he was doing and thought a vacation would help.
When he was about to leave for a tropical trip to Puerto Rico, his boss asked him to stay a little later than usual. This made him miss his flight and left him frustrated, unsure of where to go next in his life.
In an attempt to make up for his lost vacation, he stopped in a local flower shop to get decorations for a tropical-themed party he was throwing. There, he noticed the flower shop was looking for help for the week of Valentine’s Day.
“The owner of the shop was my friend,” said Mongeau. “I walked in there and saw the help wanted sign and thought, ‘Anybody could do flowers.’ On Monday, I quit my job and started selling flowers two weeks later. I did not know what I had coming on during Valentine’s Day.”
Mongeau’s flower career took off with the help of his mentor and the shop owner, Maynard Winston. After six months of working there, Mongeau was creating floral arrangements with confidence.
"Maynard looked at me one day and said, 'You are a designer now,'" said Mongeau. "I was like, 'What are you talking?' And then he said, 'You just sent an arrangement without checking it with me first. You are an official designer.'"
From there, Mongeau became the in-house designer for different buildings in New England including the Meridian Hotel in Boston and the World Trade Center in New York before Sept. 11, 2001. He won Best Flowers in Boston for his work at the Newbury Hotel. While working for different hotels, Mongeau started doing weddings and formal events across the country.
His favorite event was a Broadway-themed wedding where he decorated twelve tables based on 12 different Broadway shows. Each table had elaborate designs with different linens and floral designs. Mongeau said his favorite part of that wedding was the 7-foot candles at the "Phantom of the Opera" table.
“My ideas and inspiration will come to me in the middle of the night,” said Mongeau. “I love to look at flower trends and share ideas with others, but the best ones will come to me on the spot.”
After moving to Bradenton in 2020, Mongeau took a break from doing flowers to pursue interior design. His best friends, Lita and John Brannan, happened to live on Longboat Key and thought it would be fun for the three of them to collaborate after being inspired by each other’s skills and the vibrant art community.
In August, they opened Le Gardineau Bleu. Mongeau is the creative director of the floral and design studio. He chooses all the merchandise, including items from local artisans, to represent the area's art community.
His new passion project revolves around mentoring the shop's floral team. After 38 years in the floral industry, Mongeau thinks it's time to pass down his knowledge. He wants his employees to use flowers to connect with the surrounding community the same way that he does.
“Nature doesn't duplicate anything,” said Mongeau. “Every flower is unique, just like each person is unique, so it is an amazing tool to connect with people and get them to smile. I want to teach people that and watch them bloom.”
