It all began one summer when I was hired to work in a grocery store garden center…

I didn’t know anything about Kingdom plantae about 5 years ago, except that they were easier to study in biology than animalia. I didn’t start seeds, I didn’t water flowers, I didn’t even have housplants. Then one day, at a little sale in a home depot, I decided to take home two plants: A variegated Croton, and a Dracaena. At first, the sight of centipedes and mealybugs emerging from the first week of ownership absolutely turned me off! But soon, I was starting in that garden center job, and I opened right up.

Then one day, while at this job, we got a shipment of Passion Flowers. (Passiflora cerulea). I had no idea how to care for them, but having them sitting there blooming on the pavement inspired me to delve right into it, learn how to grow anything, everything, understand how it all comes together, and maybe someday, I could have my own passion flowers blooming in my home.

So I took one year of foundational horticulture.

Got spirited away to Africa, fell absolutely love-drunk with the flora there.

Came back home, took my second year of horticulture, now I am doing retail in a landscape plant nursery. Most of my plants are propagated by myself, unless I am hunting for the sort that are already too hard to come by.

I have dozens of indoor plants that suffice me for winter, most of them I collect and name them my mothers, for some day, when me and my SO get some land and build a house, I will be building a conservatory to emulate the flora I am mad about.

I also love Ginkgo trees. I don’t like people who don’t. :)

Oh, and finally, the whole reason for all this crazy botanical obsession, came to fruition. Last fall, I had my first passiflora cerulea bloom :)

I also have a newly found love for insects; particularly moths, mantids, millipedes, and yes, the ever baneful phasmids.

Every year, I grow vegetables (usually tomatoes, for the awesome salsa I love to make), and this spring I will be starting a square foot garden to try something new. I’ll also be designating a corner of the property to a butterfly garden, as I love seeing swallowtails every year!

Everything else, you might have to ask!

All because of a stupid wish to make my own passion flower bloom someday.