1. I have been a garden writer for about 3 years (although I have been a professional writer for longer and have done/still do other writing besides garden writing). Most of my work has been published in Chicagoland Gardening and Northwest Quarterly, another regional magazine.
2. On a related note, I love Midwestern native plants because I think I identify with them, being Midwestern and all. I have lived elsewhere and I admit my home isn't perfect, but I can't deny who I am or where I'm from, so why deny my garden the plants it evolved to host? They may not be super-showy, highly cultivated, hothouse flowers, but like everything else in this region they're resilient and resourceful, can take a joke, and are beautiful in their own way.
3. I am an unrepentant grammar nerd. The world needs us, trust me.
4. I speak/read/write Italian proficiently (not fluently, I admit).
5. Despite my name, I do not currently grow roses. But I have in the past and I will again in the future; in fact I'm plotting it right now. I truly believe my name heightened my awareness of plants and gardening, so I sort of feel that I owe the classic flowers of my namesake something. I realize they're not Midwestern natives, but as you can see in my profile I do NOT discriminate against non-natives.
6. I have an obsession with the state of Vermont. I spent three weeks there when I was 11 and it was like a dreamworld of lush greenery. It was a very formative experience between me and the natural world. I have been back since, and if I ever run away and become a hermit, it will likely be there. As I mentioned above, my home isn't perfect, but I'm pretty sure Vermont is.
7. When I like things I adore them and have difficulties choosing favorites. So I rarely have one "favorite" type of thing but most likely 3 or 4. Examples include books, songs, and, of course, plants. But I won't reveal all my favorites of all sorts of things here--that can be another post!
As a good sport I'm now tagging Mr. McGregor's Daughter, Cindy at My Corner of Katy, Diane at the Garden of Live Flowers, Diana at Sharing Nature's Garden, and Frances at Fairegarden. OK, that's not the specified 7, but it's Friday afternoon; it's the best I can do. If any of you would like to play along, just post 7 things about yourself and tag (up to) 7 others if you like! Have a wonderful weekend!
(Gratuitous shot of great blue lobelia [L. siphilitica]. I can't get enough of this plant. Its color is gorgeous, its habit spiky yet elegant, and it survives flooding from the gutter overhead like a champ.)
