|
 I was not
born a gardener, but rather grew into one (pun
intended).
It wasn't
until my husband and I bought our house in Webster
Groves in 2002 that I even started dabbling in gardening.
The yard was so barren, a neighbor across the street
divided her perennials and starting giving pieces to me. (She
must have been really sick of the view of my yard from
her house -- it was dreadful.)
And I
didn't think about making a career out of it until after
I had my two children. I had previously worked in
corporate communications and public relations, two
fields that require a lot of travel and a lot of
billable hours. I reached a point where I felt
like the only time I was really happy was when I was
digging in the yard. After a lot of soul-searching
and talking with my husband, I quit my job and went back
to school. Now, in addition to having a degree in
journalism and English (not very useful in the garden!),
I have a certificate in horticulture from St. Louis
Community College at Meramec with a specialty in
landscape design.
I started
working at Sugar Creek in 2005, at first just watering
plants and avoiding customers because I was afraid
someone might ask me a question! Now I'm a manager
and I've put in billions of gardening hours at my own
house and at the nursery. I give talks; do home garden
consultations; order most of the shrubs, trees and roses
for the nursery; am a contributor to the
Sugar Creek Gardens' blog; and am editor of the
Garden Gossip e-newsletter.
I am also
president of the newly formed
St. Louis Hydrangea Society
(shameless plug!)
Every day
I go to work I can honestly say I learn something new.
Everyone at the nursery is so glad to share stories
about their successes -- and failures -- that it's a
really supportive environment. I'm not afraid to
grow anything!
I have a
sort of circus mentality in my own garden -- the more
colors, shapes, and textures, the better. Also,
because I have no impulse control, I bring home plants
from work all the time, even if I don't have a spot for
them -- I make room. Not the best design
philosophy, but I do have fun with it.
Here are
my favorites:
Favorite rose:
'Abraham Darby'
Favorite hydrangea:
'Pia,' an oldy but goody, and
'Sol'
Favorite annual:
Ipomoea alba moonflower and all annual
poppies
Favorite shrub:
Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite' winterberry
Favorite tree:
Acer griseum paperbark maple
Favorite perennials: Shade -- all
epimediums,
pulmonarias, and
delphiniums; sun -- oooh, too many to
choose from --
Geranium 'Rozanne,'
Leucanthemum 'Broadway Lights daisy,'
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides perennial
plumbago, all the
salvias...
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