I was about seven when given a plot of my own to garden.
High on a bluff on the outskirts of London overlooking the Thames, it was the ideal place to dream and plan in my mind's eye, the mélange of spinach and celery, snaps and sunflowers - my contribution to the household! Tho' the English weather sometimes laughed at my dreams I nurtured that garden- until my teen years provided a diversion or two. Thus began my road to designing gardens as the ‘English Garden Designer’
First stop was the Bromley College of Art in Kent (known as the Garden of England) and a dose of reality. I’m sure what I learnt was of value- but also enough to know that the visual arts were not for me.
So what to do next? - Hopped over to France, wound my way down to le midi and found myself working in the kitchen of Michel Brodoff –an irascible Russian- where I gained a serious understanding of what is now known as “Farm to Table”
Then back to the UK-and a few seasons of co-owning an underwater diving school -where I perfected the fine art of fileting fish – and then off to the USA to check out this side of the pond and the advances made in the world of scuba–when “that’s all she wrote” of the single life!
Moved to the ’burbs when my son was born and got to garden some neglected acreage, picking up certificates of Landscape Design from the New York Botanical Garden and Cornell’s’ ‘Master Gardener’ on the way. This was also the time when women were burning their bras, so had been talking with friends as to what we could do in this new woman’s world.
Whilst ordering seeds, for my work in progress –a potager- which grew with each season, the proverbial lightbulb went on- “that’s it- the Gourmet Gardener- that’s what I’ll be! Excitedly, I reached out to the local newspaper and asked if they would like to meet the Gourmet Gardener and soon landed a feature in the Patent Trader. Lectures and clients in the tri state area followed.
So happy that you found my Website and hope that you will get in touch with me and take advantage of a free consultation.
