I was 23 when I first started working in the nursery business.  Hard to believe it has been over 10 years.  That first job was in a retail garden center in Leawood, KS.  I had just quit my job with a major greeting card company and was driving aimlessly around town wondering what I had just done and what the heck I was going to do next.  At the time my husband was an archaeologist and I’m here to tell you they don’t bring in the big bucks.  I was the primary bread winner and I had just thrown that all away.  I did it for the good of my health and marriage and it wouldn’t be the last time I did that.

There was a “now hiring” sign in the window of an Earl May Nursery & Garden Center.  I liked plants so I thought I would give it a go.  In reality I wanted to be an interior designer, but an interior design firm had just informed me that I really needed to go to school for that and I needed a job right at that moment.  The nursery seem as good of job as any.  I filled out an application, went home and the phone was ringing.  It was the nursery calling to schedule an interview.  I didn’t have anything to do so I hopped back in the car and had an interview.  The assistant manager hired me on the spot.  Thus began my career in the horticulture industry.  Little did I know how it would change my life.

I worked for Earl May for about 9 months before moving back to Washington State.  Once back in Washington I enrolled in school at South Puget Sound Community College.  Two years later I graduated from their technical program with a degree in horticulture.  In the years since that first interview with Earl May I’ve been a nursery grunt, an assistant manager, a buyer, a landscape designer and an operations manager.  Six years ago I gave it all up to try to become a mom.

Now just then you did the math and figured that my “career” in horticulture was only 5 years long.  This is partially true.  When I gave up working at the tropical greenhouse I did stay home for a while.  Once I got bored with that I restarted my landscape design business.  I’ve also consulted along the way and then started this blog.  However, most of what I did in the nursery business I did when I was in my 20’s.

Earlier this year I decided that I needed something to occupy my time and make a little extra money.  Not that I don’t like staying home with my child, but there comes a point when adult interaction is a must.  I sought out a job in a retail garden center at the beginning of February.  It wasn’t until this week that I finally got started.

I was recently hired by a local nursery and I quickly learned that nursery work is much like riding a bicycle.  I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to remember the plants or their care.  The biggest learning curve I face is the onslaught of new products on the market.  Especially those in the organics genre.  I garden organically, but I do so by benign neglect.  Much of what I was taught in school about organics was soil health, soil health, soil health.  While this is a major factor in organic gardening, there are new advances in products to help the gardener along.  I have much to learn from these young boys that I’m working for.

I have come to realize that while I am by no means old, a 33 year old body is not a 23 year old body.  Let’s just say I sleep well at night.  I think it is mostly the standing and the mental stimulation of having to think to answer questions on a constant basis.  The questions are much more complicated than, “mom, can you get my legos out of the garage.”

I am loving this new adventure in life.  It reminds me of when I was young, but not in a bad way.  It gets me out of the house and interacting with people.  It lets me flex my plant muscles, both internally and externally.  And most of all it lets me meet the gardening community of Tacoma.  So if you are out and about and in need of gardening assistance stop by Gardensphere in the Proctor district Wednesday or Thursday mornings or anytime on Saturday to say hello.  Of course you could stop by other times too just to shop, Gabe & Travis would like the business.