I first fell in love with container gardening when, at age four, my father gave me a small clay pot, some garden soil, and a packet of nasturtium seeds. You see, I had a habit of following him around and asking “What cha doing Daddy?” “Daddy, what´s that?” “Daddy, can I help?” And he, being the infinitely patient person that he was, somehow always had an answer. I think the pot, dirt and seeds may have actually been his way of keeping me occupied for a while so he could get some REAL work done, but it got me started on a life-time love affair with plants for which I will be forever grateful.
As I grew up we moved an average of every two to three years, so any plants we really loved were kept in containers so we could take them with us. There were fuchsias, camellias, azaleas, roses, iris, even a dwarf lemon tree. When I moved out for college I had my mini-garden on the dorm window sill, and in the many years after college my ´pot gardens´, as my friends teasingly call them, have only gotten bigger.
I´ve worked with several professional gardeners and landscape architects over the years because everywhere I´ve gone I´ve gravitated to gardening. For a number of years I also designed, planted and cared for container gardens at the home of the CEO of the company where I worked. (That all started when I was growing cucumbers, tomatoes and cantaloupe in pots in the office parking lot, but that´s another story). For over thirty years I have tried all sorts of gardening methods learned from books and magazines and by word of mouth. I´m always ready to try out new ideas and push the boundaries – if something is said to not be possible I´ll work to find a way to make it otherwise!
The tremendous joy, serenity, and sense of accomplishment I´ve gained from surrounding myself with beautiful, healthy plants and all colors of flowers, from eating fresh fruit and vegetables from my own containers, from experiencing and being a part of the cycle of life right there on my porch or patio, is what I want to share with you. That´s what this site is all about. So come on, let´s get planting!
Submit a Comment - Suggestion - Request to this Editor
NOTE: If you want a response, please make sure to include your email address. Also, make sure that any anti-spam blockers you have are set up to allow mail from bellaonline.com! Otherwise our response won't be able to get to you.
