How long have I been gardening? Seriously gardening – about 25 years, since a little after we bought our first house. Planting and caring for a plants – about 40 years, since I moved into my own space where I could grow my own things. Learning about gardens – all 60 years of my life. My father was a gardener and gardens (flowers, vegetables, shrubs, trees) have been in my life for as long as I can remember. I cannot imagine living in a house where I did not have easy access to the outside and to a garden.

Gardening for me is a way of connecting with the environment, with the seasons, with change and growth, and with people. My garden reflects the history of those connections. When we bought our first house there was one plant in the garden (apart from grass), an Autumn Splendour. We’ve been in our second house for 12 years now and I probably have a dozen Autumn Splendour plants, and at least 5 varieties. I also have plants from father, who died over 25 years ago, from my siblings’ gardens, and from friends. One Mother’s Day my husband gave me several Hosta plants. They fill the bed at the base of our old butternut, and have become the anchor of an ever-growing collection of Hosta, which does well on this sandy site. Our anniversary is on July 21, and for the last 10 years or so we have used it as an occasion to add to our daylily collection.

Perennials, obviously, are a passion, but my style of gardening, influenced by my father, is a blend of country/English garden, with lots of curves and not much formality. I like letting things naturalize, which means I have some very wild spots in my garden. I pride myself in having an extended season, planting in hopes of getting the first flowers in March (even if it’s just a lone snowdrop) and the last flowers in early December (even if they’re the last sprigs from Salvia or chrysanthemums). Flowering bulbs make April/May a delight, and annuals are important in filling in the gaps in August and September. I have a weakness for ornamental shrubs, and love the variation I can add to my garden by creating different containers each year. I’ve always grown herbs, but vegetables have waxed and waned in importance. Having access to a good farmer’s market and not a lot of sunny space means they’re not high priority at the moment.

I’ve always had some houseplants, but in the last few years have extended that to a veritable wintergarden, overwintering whatever container plants I could and propagating cuttings as the days grow longer. For the last two years I’ve worked, with some success, to get Poinsettias to flower, and this year grew enough Amaryllis to make January and February an indoor delight. For Christmas I received grow lights and managed several cuttings from a crop of lettuce before I switched to starting plants for the outdoor garden. Gardening has become a full-year occupation, and has the potential to become a full-time occupation when I retire.