My name is Lisa and I’m a real gardener with a real garden… weeds and all.  I don’t have a television show, I haven’t written a book, and yes, that is chicken poop on my shoe.  I take all the photographs on this blog myself (usually with my iPhone).  I have weeds in my garden.  I’m waging a never ending war with grass growing in my flower beds and for some reason I can’t make the neighbor children understand that dandelions are not wishes unless you wish me dead.

I’ve been interested in the garden since I was 11 years old.  We moved into a house that was teeming with beautiful roses, colorful flowers and a giant plum tree.  I spent my first fall digging in the front flower box and uncovered a treasure trove of little round gems.  I spent my afternoons digging up my “crop” and hiding it away in the garage.  It was later that I found out that I had extracted every last tulip bulb.

Ever since then I’ve had dirt under my fingernails.  In 1999 I quit my well paying corporate job and started as a simple cashier in a chain garden center.  From there I found my true calling in life and delved deeply into the world of horticulture.

I hold a degree in Horticulture Technology and I obtained it with honors.  I am not a Master Gardener and get quite offended when someone implies that my hard earned degree is not as good as being a Master Gardener.  Trust me, I know more.

Today I work at a local independent garden center. My bosses are two young guys who put all of my other bosses to shame. I’m fairly certain they keep me around for entertainment value since I spend most of my days getting made fun of. That’s the charm right? I putter around in my own garden and grow vegetables for my husband (of 16 years) and our 8 year old son. We have a 3200 sq. ft. vegetable garden complete with 6 chickens and the occasional flock of broiler hens. My husband has deemed it a “working farm.” I think it’s just a lot of work.

My garden isn’t a show piece that will probably never grace the pages of a magazine, but I like it that way. The weeds give it personality and let me know that they are winning… not Charlie Sheen. Although I’d like to think I’m the winner in all of this.