OGDEN -- When celebrities need a florist, they call Ogden native Jeff Leatham. He's done work for Tina Turner, Cher and Eva Longoria and can now add Chelsea Clinton to his list of high-profile clients: Leatham was the florist for the former First Daughter's New York wedding this past weekend.

Jeff Leatham was raised in Ogden where his mother volunteers at the hospital and his father is a retired high school teacher. Strolling through the elaborate and well-kept backyard garden behind the family house Jeff grew up in, you can see where he gets his talents from.

"He says I helped him quite a bit, but I don't know," said Larry Leatham, Jeff's father.

It's true. KSL spoke to Jeff on the phone, and he can't say enough about his dad.

"Looking back now, you know, it was all those times he was teaching me about color; and watching him do the yard work has taught me so much in my life," Jeff said.

When he was young, Jeff says he could hardly stand to mow the lawn for his parents. Now he's the head florist at George V in Paris, where he makes unforgettable, unique arrangements.

"His signature is monochromatic," Larry said. "He uses one or two colors, and bright colors, and colors that most people wouldn't put together -- like orange and purple."

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Jeff also never uses leaves and puts the flowers at an angle -- even occasionally upside down.

"We are just overwhelmed," said Jeff's mother, Janet Leatham. "Every time he does something it's bigger and better."

When Jeff was on "The Oprah Show," the whole family went. Jeff made huge arrangements for the set -- worth $85,000, according to Larry.

But Jeff's most recent job, Chelsea Clinton's wedding, tops it all.

"This is one of the highlights of my career, to do the flowers for the wedding," Jeff said.

Jeff used gardenias in Chelsea's bouquet and used green and white for the rest of the ceremony flowers.

"There's a lot of things that we can't speak about out of respect for the family," Jeff says of other private details about the event.

Though Jeff has to be hush-hush about his work on the wedding, his parents are anything but about him.

"We're just so proud," said Janet. "We couldn't be more proud of him."

Jeff has taken his parents with him all around the world for the work he's done.

He has a reality show on TLC, called "Flowers Uncut," and is the author of two books.

E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com

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