ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When I reflect back on my life, I now realize the carefully crafted journey I unknowingly took on my way to becoming an accomplished gardener. I have gained knowledge, beginning with watching and learning from my mom and visiting beautiful gardens in Florida as a child, through experimenting with multiple flowers, trees, and shrubs in my own backyard as an adult. To this day as I travel through life, I am constantly observing and photographing gardens I pass along the way. I love walking through the streets of Philadelphia and Washington, DC in the spring, summer, and fall. There are so many hidden treasures just around the bend waiting to be found.
TRAVELING
In addition to visiting neighborhood gardens and observing flower boxes and beautiful potted displays on front steps, I enjoy visiting gardens created by very talented designers. Some of these gardens include:
Keukenhof Gardens; Lisse, Netherlands
Fridheimar Farms; 806 Reykholt, Iceland
Sayen Gardens in Hamilton, NJ
Grounds for Sculpture; Mercerville, NJ
JC Raulston Arboretum; Raleigh, NC
Viscaya Musem and Gardens; Miami, FL
Cliffs of Moher; Clare, Ireland
Palais-Royal Garden; Paris, France
Kensington Gardens; London, UK
Aqueduct Garden; Lisbon, Portugal
Parco delle Terme; Montecatini, Italy
Exotic Garden of Monaco; Monte Carlo, Monaco
Parque Los Cerros; Alcala de Henaras, Madrid, Spain
Jardines del Mirador; Barcelona, Spain
…. just to name a fraction of the gardens I have observed so far! In addition to learning through observation I have read numerous books, and browsed magazines, catalogues, and websites to enhance my knowledge of gardening. I also completed a “staging” course to assist people in creating the best curb appeal for their homes when selling their most treasured possession.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Interview
Recently, December of 2023, I was asked to be interviewed by Canvas Rebel Magazine. For those of you who are not familiar with this publication, it features "stories that illustrate the trends and insights of brilliant small business owners, artis, and creatives from across the community."
To read my interview, click here.
Creating Gardens
I have moved around a lot in my lifetime. At each new destination I created gardens in my yard; some small, others much larger. For 26 years I resided in the country and owned one and 2/3rd acres of property. Across the street was a lovely horse farm that extended as far as the eye could see.
When we first moved to the property there was nothing but wide open space full of mud! There were no gardens, trees, shrubs or flowers. After many years of grunt work and a vision, my husband (who was the laborer!) and I created a park-like setting. I will always look back on that home with great fondness. Below are pictures of our large backyard. We planted most of the shrubs, flowers and trees, and built the firepit and brick walkways and patio. I designed the yard.
When I moved into my current home, I had to downsize my garden to a 25 by 30 foot patio with a pergola. It was quite a change from maintaining a huge area to one that could be placed on a postage stamp!
Garden Tour
After making it my own, I was asked if I’d like to be a stop on the local garden tour in my hometown of Bordentown. Of course I accepted! Who doesn’t want to show off their achievements?
Publications
In addition to garden tours, one of my articles was featured in a local magazine called “Lewes Neighbors” published by Best Version Media. I have been asked to submit more articles and again will be featured this spring..
FORMAL EDUCATION NOTWITHSTANDING – CREDENTIALS
Even though I have not had formal education in gardening and landscape design, I have learned a tremendous amount of information through observation and reading anything I can get my hands on. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my credentials and will take the time to browse my website. If you ever need advice or have any questions regarding gardening, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out. Also, if you have a topic of interest and it is not listed on this website, drop me a line and I will do some research and consider publishing an article on it.
All the best,
Nina