I gather you work with GIS. But you're clearly passionate about plants. Talk about that hobby, how it started and why it's satisfying for you.
I’ve always been surrounded by plants. I remember playing with snapdragons at my grandmother’s house when I was young, and my parents were pretty big into gardening when they were young and always had some houseplants as well. Growing up my mom would also try to teach me the names of common plants like Petunias,Geraniums, and Tulips.
In 2005 I got a job at a local garden centre. I knew basically nothing about plants but there were some excellent people I worked closely with, including a guy who was really passionate about perennials. He sort of picked up on the fact that I was interested and told me about all the most interesting things that were around. Which is really what got me interested in it.
I learned so much from him and kept looking for more information online. I loved the strange and obscure and ultimately got tired of the job which kept bringing me back to the same old plants over and over and the same questions from customers. I wanted to talk to people about these weird and wonderful plants and they wanted to talk about what was easiest and longest flowering.
I guess I love the patterns and the changes that happen. I loved watching Ostrich Fern fronds uncurl the first time I saw it at the store. I love the way new growth explodes from nothing in the early spring. I love seeing something do it’s thing and look it’s best and then seeing something else start to take off as it slows down and finishes. I love seeing (more with indoor, but really any) plant in my care doing well and getting bigger and growing and flowering.
