Born in South Africa, I have been an avid gardener and amateur horticulturalist my whole life. My love of gardening is not limited to edibles; I love growing ornamentals too. A lack of plant varieties in South Africa led me to spearhead a campaign to import Chinese Tree Peonies. I successfully launched them in South Africa – the first time they had ever been commercially available there. This was followed by marketing hard-to-find cottage garden plants. One thing led to another, and I contributed to a leading gardening magazine and lectured on the garden circuit.

Moving to the United States, it seemed natural for the peony mail-order business to morph into a successful internet company. My love of gardening spills over into the kitchen; there is a special magic in harvesting vegetables, fruit and herbs that one has one grown oneself and transforming them into something that taste wonderful. There is also a special joy in going out into the garden and picking cut flowers to grace one’s home.

 With 35 year’s experience teaching English, coupled with my love of gardening, it is not surprising that these two skills finally joined together:  My book – Container and Raised Bed Gardening for Beginners and Beyond, will be available shortly. For me, gardening is more than just a way of life, it is my life-long passion. If you are a beginner gardener, or somewhere beyond, I hope you find the same joy in gardening as I have