Suite101

Roostergrl


Suite101 Member

I am a former medical assistant and phlebotomist. Upon incurring a work injury, I became permanently disabled and had to leave my profession. Color and design have always been of great interest to me. Thus my neverending projects in interior design and decorating as well as gardening design.

I used to live in the central valley of Northern California. Gardening here is great for both beginner as well as the experienced. The weather is mild and the seasons are long. You can grow just about any plant by creating pocket climates within your yard. I was blessed with parents who each had a gift for one of my great loves. My father for gardening and propagating plants and my mother for her skill in fabrics and decorating. To me the two are very similar, they both are ways to make your surrounding more pleasant and inviting.

Now I live in Oregon with a totally knew climate. The great part is I can now grow plants I used to only dream about. :) The state is so green with so many beautiful native plants til I can't get all kind of ideas for arranging plants. After all, if it works in nature.......

I also love spending time with children. I have always been a volunteer babysitter for my five older brother's children. Even after I had my own family, my home was never void of innocent laughter and my two sons always had a large family surrounding them. I would gather them together for story time and we would also learn about plants and bugs. :)

I was very young when I had my first gardening experience. I was about 7yrs old and my mom helped my younger sister and I to plant green beans and bell peppers. We were so proud when we had our first harvest and she served them with dinner that night. Though I didn't like green beans, I ate them with pride because I had helped plant them. Okay......I ate a few bites! hehehe

Before my injury, my gardening was limited to pruning and maintaining already established plants. The only plants I started on my own were my vegetables, mostly tomatoes and sometimes lettuce and onions. Now for the past 8yrs, I have become quite adequate at propagating, starting from seed and my favorite... planting bulbs. I love the look of cottage gardens and try to incorporate every kind of bulb I find into that setting. As of now, I have a mixture of tropical and formal cottage. It is an ongoing project.

The same goes for my home. I make changes monthly, though with my health worsening, the changes aren't as extensive as in the past. I have at least 3 projects in the works now. I would like to get them finished soon before the planting season gets in full swing.