CREDENTIALS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

When I reflect back on my life, I now realize the carefully crafted journey I unknowingly took on my way to becoming an accomplished gardener. I have gained knowledge, beginning with watching and learning from my mom and visiting beautiful gardens in Florida as a child, through experimenting with multiple flowers, trees, and shrubs in my own backyard as an adult. To this day as I travel through life, I am constantly observing and photographing gardens I pass along the way. I love walking through the streets of Philadelphia and Washington, DC in the spring, summer, and fall. There are so many hidden treasures just around the bend waiting to be found.

TRAVELING

In addition to visiting neighborhood gardens and observing flower boxes and beautiful potted displays on front steps, I enjoy visiting gardens created by very talented designers. Some of these gardens include:

• Keukenhof Gardens; Lisse, Netherlands
• Fridheimar Farms; 806 Reykholt, Iceland
• Sayen Gardens in Hamilton, NJ
• Grounds for Sculpture; Mercerville, NJ
• JC Raulston Arboretum; Raleigh, NC
• Viscaya Musem and Gardens; Miami, FL
• Cliffs of Moher; Clare, Ireland
• Palais-Royal Garden; Paris, France
• Kensington Gardens; London, UK
• Aqueduct Garden; Lisbon, Portugal
• Parco delle Terme; Montecatini, Italy
• Exotic Garden of Monaco; Monte Carlo, Monaco
• Parque Los Cerros; Alcala de Henaras, Madrid, Spain
• Jardines del Mirador; Barcelona, Spain

…. just to name a fraction of the gardens I have observed so far!
In addition to learning through observation I have read numerous books, and browsed magazines, catalogues, and websites to enhance my knowledge of gardening. I also completed a “staging” course to assist people in creating the best curb appeal for their homes when selling their most treasured possession.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Interview

In December of 2023, I was asked to be interviewed by Canvas Rebel Magazine. For those of you who are not familiar with this publication, it features “stories that illustrate the trends and insights of brilliant small business owners, artis, and creatives from across the community.”

To read my interview, click here.

Creating Gardens

I have moved around a lot in my lifetime. At each new destination I created gardens in my yard; some small, others much larger. For 26 years I resided in the country and owned one and 2/3rd acres of property. Across the street was a lovely horse farm that extended as far as the eye could see.

When we first moved to the property there was nothing but wide open space full of mud! There were no gardens, trees, shrubs or flowers. After many years of grunt work and a vision, my husband (who was the laborer!) and I created a park-like setting. I will always look back on that home with great fondness. Below are pictures of our large backyard. We planted most of the shrubs, flowers and trees, and built the firepit and brick walkways and patio. I designed the yard.