Garden Design

I have been an avid gardener since the age of five. Working with my parents in our small orchard, vegetable garden, and perennial borders, I learned the basics of organic pest control, crop rotation, companion planting, and varietal selection. In high school I had the opportunity to spend time in nearby Longwood Gardens and to work as a volunteer at two local arboretums, The Tyler and The Scott.

While in school in the horticulture department at the University of Delaware, I worked part time for rose hybridizer Nelson Jolly and later as assistant to chief propagator Bill Devine at Angelica Nurseries' 5000 acre plant farm in Maryland.

I then enrolled in George Washington University's Landscape Design Program and had the good fortune to apprentice master gardener Christine Jacoby for two years at her Georgetown business, Len-Jo Gardens. Studying at G.W. and working as a maintenance gardener in Washington D.C.'s most beautiful landscapes provided the platform on which my design concepts were formed.

After finishing the program at George Washington University, I ventured out and started my own design company. For the past twenty five years I have had the great pleasure to work closely with a very diverse group of clients, both residential and commercial. Creating spaces for families to relax, rest, play and entertain in, and for businesses to grow and prosper in, continues to be a rewarding career.

For the past few years, my gardening time at home has been devoted to the development of my kitchen garden. Laid out in a classic , yet rustic, potager style, this garden provides the 'lab' or classroom for all of the workshops offered on the Artemisia's Garden workshop calendar.

- Susan Hager