|
 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...
Enjoy this video of
Kim discussing fragrant flowers on her visit to KMOV Channel 4's
Good Day St. Louis.
Flower Gardening
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