Marie-Laure Coste Dujols makes gardens and businesses grow!
Marie-Laure Coste Dujols’ first visit to the United States in 1998 was supposed to be just a work trip. A native of Paris, Dujols, 20 years old at the time, was asked to take the lead on floral design for a wedding in Albany, Georgia. She grew up in a lavish garden curated by her mother, then worked in a flower shop after college where she gained experience working with custom arrangements.
Fortunately for Atlanta, Dujols never left, and her floral design business, Le Jardin Français, has become a multi-hyphenate empire of custom flower design and plant education. As of 2026, the brand includes a Europeanstyle floral boutique at Westside Provisions, the L’Atelier space nearby and a newly opened kiosk in the new Upper West Market district—with more to come.
She spoke to Simply Buckhead about how her business has blossomed.
How do the different parts of the business work together?
Le Jardin Français started in 2000 with event florals out of my house, and 10 years later, in 2010, we had a retail shop. We now offer florals for residential and commercial spaces and events, plus a huge educational component of teaching and training. We opened L’Atelier in 2023, which is where we produce orders, host team-builders and workshops, and prepare for events.
What are most of your customers looking for, and how do they find you?
It’s a lot of word of mouth and existing clients. I’ve been established for 25 years. We have long-term relationships with people. They have parties; they send thank-yous; they buy gifts. We’re in people’s lives for a long time. Florists are kind of like hairdressers in that way. People also find out about our workshops through receiving flowers and just being curious. They come in and say, ‘My grandmother had this plant growing up, and I would love to have one, but I keep killing them!’ My mission is to help people have a good experience with plants and flowers. It’s about understanding what plants need to thrive. And we teach those skills.
What’s a typical day like for you?
I’m the creative director. I oversee a lot of orders, which are often designs I’ve created. I’m involved in quotes, estimates and developing new products and offerings. I also teach workshops and do client consultations and garden design consultations where I walk around a home, business or outdoor space and make suggestions. Le Jardin Français values sustainability.
Can you tell us more about that?
We design with the seasons because seasonal flowers are inherently more sustainable. They require fewer resources, travel fewer miles and reflect natural rhythms of the environment. Our role as designers is not to force nature into something it isn’t but to work in harmony with the seasons and what’s available at any given time. That philosophy has guided Le Jardin Français since the beginning.
LE JARDIN FRANÇAIS
lejardinfrancais.com
@lejardinfrancais
STORY: Denise K. James
