Sue Ann Foster
Bel Air, Maryland

My garden consists of five acres of woodland property, mostly oaks and tulip poplars. It was blessed with a creek and I have put in numerous ponds to further the wildlife habitat. Perhaps the highlight of the garden is the human pond - a charcoal pool with a stone deck and waterfall surrounded by tropical plants. At first, I lamented having to put a fence around it, but using the old adage of making lemonade out of life's lemons, I took the opportunity to grow variegated Virginia creeper, climbing rose Zephirine Drouhin, trumpet honeysuckle, and three types of clematis offering blooms from early spring through fall.

While I may occassionally miss the sun loving flowers, I do delight in the textures and variegated leaves of my shade plants. Beyond the euphorbias, pulmonarias, tiarellas, ferns, epimediums, hellebores, spring ephemerals, and all the other usual shade lovers, I like to try new and unusual plants using various propagation methods.

I became a serious gardener in 1996 when I retired from the legal profession and became a certified master gardener. This has given me an opportunity to learn and to teach others the glories of horticulture. It is a passion that brings many joys and many friends.

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