I come from a long line of gardeners. When my nonno (grandfather) emigrated from Italy by boat with his family he brought seeds from his vegetable garden. He was known for his grapes and tomatoes. He started the seeds in America in discarded containers on the fire escape of his New York City tenement house. I think of this as the infancy of container gardening and credit my love for gardening in small spaces to him.

After retiring from Fairfax County Public Schools, I had more time to spend in my garden. I knew I had a lot more to learn about gardening, and I enrolled in the Green Spring Master Gardening class of 2015. My greatest accomplishment so far is that my husband Steve, a true city boy, now knows what a native plant is and can identify a crepe myrtle.

I have enjoyed every second of learning, sharing and working at Green Spring Gardens, which is the best kept secret in Fairfax County. I hope to work with FROGS to help others discover what a special place it is for the whole family.