Growing up in Ft. Lauderdale was a tropical paradise for Robert Vincent Sims, NewsChannel 2's Garden Rebel. Vince was totally enamored by the beauty of plants.

By the time he was a teenager, Vince was speaking at numerous botanical gardens all over the U.S. and Central America.

"The first thing I ever grew was some green fur on a peach that I had left in my sock drawer," Sims said.

By the age of 10, Vince had already started his own nursery, growing his cuttings in soup cans. This boyish promotion was the beginning of an exotic plant nursery in Ft. Lauderdale, and a highly successful landscape nursery serving much of Central Florida.

After graduating from college in South Florida, Vince moved to Central Florida and began his radio shows. His Garden Rebel booklets and appearances on WESH NewsChannel 2 make him the most popular horticulturist in the state.

Vince said his wife, June, is the backbone of his family-run business, Sims Landscape in Eustis, which specializes in residential landscapes.

In his free time, Vince enjoys dining with friends, tennis and golf. Some of his favorite times are spent just hanging around the yard with his wife, kids and two spoiled Yorkies named Rebel and Zeke.