Nora Kelly
|
| Name: | Nora Kelly |
| Blogs: | http://www.thefilix.com/
|
| Location: | Chicago, IL |
| Employer: | University |
|
I earned my Native Plant Studies certificate from the University of North Carolina Charlotte Botanical Gardens in December of 2011 and you can, too! Find out about the program here. It was so much fun; great people, interesting courses, highly recommended. I took twice as many classes as required! They'll probably never get rid of me out there.
So, who am I? Without getting into an existential crisis over it, Im Melissa, a wife, mother, and homemaker, whose (now grown) children have been known to ask, Mom, why do you love plants so much?
Im not sure I ever had a good answer for that, but I have noticed plants don't talk back! JC Raulston, the man with Chlorophyll in his Veins, said he loved plants because plants don't hurt you. That's as good a reason as I can come up with. I probably have chlorophyll in my veins, too.
Once when my daughter was about four years old she fussed at her grandma for reaching into the car and throwing away a dried leaf lying on the dashboard, No, Grammy! My mom can make potpourri with that! I hadn't planned to do that, but in fact, it was a dried herb. When we got home, that's what we did.
So, they've grown up with a plant geek mom, a fact that didn't much please them after about the age of four. Which brings me to why I write the blog: Because you DO love plants as much as I do! And you have gardens and houseplants that you love to talk about. Or maybe you just love to visit gardens or look at pictures from another part of the world and dream about them. Either way, welcome!
As for the garden, my husband and I are slowly creating a woodland habitat garden underneath the oak/hickory/maple canopy that makes up our suburban lot.
As we remove English ivy, Japanese honeysuckle and other invasives and add native plants, it encourages native birds and insects to visit and helps us achieve a level of sustainability that a less diverse landscape doesn't have. Our peaceful garden with birdsong and flowers is my favorite place to be. I will show it to you here as it develops.
Our list of plants will fill you in on what we have and, if you're new to The Filix (or just to gardening) give you some idea what grows well here.
I have enjoyed connecting with other plant-lovers and garden bloggers so much! Please feel free to comment and leave a link to your own personal blog, if you have one. I would love to hear from you, too.
Being around plants, learning about plants, gives me a sense of peace and purpose. I am renewed, refreshed, and invigorated by being outside interacting with nature. It is a pleasure to photograph and write about it for you.
http://www.thefilix.com/ |
| Contributions by Nora Kelly |
|
|
|
|
|
|
