"He has made everything beautiful in its time."  —  Ecclesiastes 3:11

A LIFE ROOTED IN PURPOSE

James Jack, known by nearly everyone who crossed his path simply as "Jungle Jack", was a man whose life grew like the bamboo he so lovingly tended: quietly, steadily, and with a strength that surprised all who encountered it. For more than 33 years, James stood as the heart and soul of Jungle Jack's Bamboo Nursery on Aloma Avenue in Winter Park, Florida, transforming a passion for horticulture into a living legacy of beauty, community, and peace.

To know James was to know a man of deep and abiding faith. His relationship with God was not merely a Sunday morning formality — it was the bedrock upon which every aspect of his life was built. He believed that in planting bamboo, he was participating in something sacred: the act of creating peaceful, green sanctuaries where people could breathe, reflect, and feel the quiet presence of the divine. That conviction radiated from him in every interaction, every planting, every piece of counsel he offered freely to anyone who asked.

THE NURSERY ON ALOMA AVENUE

Jungle Jack's Bamboo Nursery became far more than a place of commerce. It became a destination, a waypoint for homeowners seeking privacy and beauty, for landscapers searching for expertise, and for curious souls simply drawn to the mystery of towering groves swaying in the Florida breeze. And when you visited James at his nursery, you were bound to be greeted by two massive Cerwin Vega D9's blasting Led Zeplen, Mother Love Bone, The Who, Pearl Jam, the Beatles, and countless other artists from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. 

Over three decades, James cultivated one of Central Florida's most beloved and trusted nurseries, earning a reputation not only for the quality of his bamboo but for the quality of his character. James took enormous pride in knowing his craft from the roots up. He understood the science of bamboo, the rhizome systems, the growth cycles, the difference between clumping and running varieties,  but more than that, he understood the art of it. He knew how to help a family envision their backyard transformed: a wall of lush green separating them from the noise of the world, a canopy of rustling leaves overhead, a space in which to exhale. He didn't just sell plants. He sold peace of mind, for that reason many came to know and love Jungle Jack also known as James, or Jimmy to his closest friends.

Throughout Central Florida and beyond, James's influence spread with every wall of bamboo he planted and every customer he guided. Landscapes across Orange and Seminole Counties bear his fingerprints, quiet gardens, sprawling hedgerows, and bamboo groves that continue to grow taller with every passing year, living monuments to a man who believed deeply in leaving things better than he found them. Just drive around central Florida, and you are bound to breathe in oxygen given to the air by plants that were planted by James's hands.

THE MAN BEHIND THE GREEN THUMB

Those who knew James well knew a man of remarkable warmth and easy laughter. He was known as a super chill dude, a Central Florida original, a fixture of the community who could spend an afternoon talking bamboo with a first-time homeowner just as comfortably as he could talk baseball, rock and roll, or the bible with a lifelong friend. And even if you just met him his conversation ran so much deeper than the roots of the bamboo h planted. As a pitcher in high school and a brief stint in the minor leagues, his love for the game was genuine and joyful, and he carried that same spirit of competition and camaraderie into everything he did.

James was a devoted friend to all; his love for his family was quiet but unconditional, expressed not in grand gestures but in steady presence, in showing up, in putting others first, and in leading by example. Friends and family alike knew they could count on him, not just for a recommendation on what bamboo to plant, but for the kind of grounded wisdom that comes only from a life well and honestly lived.

He had a gift for people. Strangers became acquaintances, acquaintances became customers, and customers became friends. It was not unusual for someone to stop by the nursery simply to chat, to seek James out not for bamboo at all, but for the warmth of his company and the clarity of his perspective. He had a way of making people feel seen and valued, and that gift was among his most cherished.

A LIVING LEGACY

James Jack leaves behind a legacy as enduring as the walls of bamboo he planted. He leaves behind a community of Central Floridians whose lives he touched through his generosity, his knowledge, and his faith. He leaves behind landscapes that will continue to grow for decades, green and quiet and beautiful, long after those who walk beneath their canopy have forgotten how they came to be there.

Most importantly, James leaves behind a mission. The spirit of Jungle Jack's Bamboo Nursery, the belief that every person deserves a peaceful space, that God's creation is a gift to be tended and shared, and that a little bamboo can change the way a place feels, lives on. This space has been created in his honor to carry that mission forward: to share knowledge about how to grow, manage, buy, relocate, and care for bamboo; to connect people with trusted resources; and to ensure that the love James poured into every planting continues to take root in new places and new lives.

In honoring James, we do not mourn the end of something. We celebrate the beginning of everything he started, the groves still growing, the peace still spreading, the faith still bearing fruit.

To honor James, please use this site to find where to purchase, how to propagate, grow, and care for bamboo in your yard!