My interest in plants and gardening began in my childhood. It is something I picked up from my mother. (Judging by letters we’ve already received from readers, this is a common scenario!) My mum has always had a great collection of houseplants, and I always enjoyed helping her care for them. One of my earliest memories is of helping her create a terrarium to give as a birthday present to a girl down the street. I was about four. I remember feeling a great sense of wonder at looking at the tiny forest we had just built inside a fish bowl—and feeling more than a bit jealous when we gave it to the neighbor.

    As I got a little older I became very interested in cacti and other succulents. I enjoyed making desert dish gardens, reading cactus books, rearranging my windowsill display, and starting from seed. Actually, I still enjoy doing all those things. But I have expanded my indoor plant collection to include other types of plants. I am building a collection of African violets, some of which I propagated from plants belonging to my mother.

    Working at Horticulture inspired me to start an outdoor garden. This spring will start my garden’s third year. It is only a small bed, about eight by eight feet. The first year I did all annuals; last year I added some perennials. I’m using my space to figure out what outdoor plants I like best, to learn by doing, and to just have fun.  I’ll fill you in as I go.

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1/26/2007 3:46:48 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [4]