Garden Girl

I'm a native Chicago northsider and long-time south suburban resident. A passionate life-long gardener, I grew up in a gardening, farming family, helping tend the humongous organic vegetable garden and ornamental plants of my childhood home, spending time on my grandparents' farm in the Missouri Ozarks, and visiting the Nebraska farm our family has owned for generations.

I'm currently deciding whether I'm enjoying a sabbatical or retirement from corporate America after my job elimination a couple of years ago. In the meantime I've started a garden design/coaching/maintenance business and work a couple of days a week at the mom-and-pop nursery down the street. Beginning February 2009 I'll attend the Master Gardeners training program at the local county extension office. I'm looking forward to sharing my passion for gardening through the volunteer program.

Since moving in with my new husband about four years ago, I've been gardening in the shade of three mature silver maples, and blogging about it since early 2008. Not my favorite tree, the maples do give us lots of shade while sorely testing my patience and gardening skills. What the squirrels don't dig up, the maple roots strangle. It's been trial and error figuring out what will survive, never mind thrive in the shallow roots that seem to suck every last ounce of moisture from the soil in midsummer, but I can spot a maple seedling at thirty paces now.