Betsy Danielson is a seasoned horticulturist and landscape designer with 30 years professional experience. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from Michigan State University and furthered her education with an independent study in Landscape Design. She started her career and worked in several positions for Bachman's, Inc., the nation's premier retail florist, greenhouse and nursery, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Prior to founding Dazzle Gardens in 2005, she was employed as a Landscape Designer at private nurseries.
Over the years, Betsy has written numerous articles for various newspapers, as well as for the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. She has also written and edited several publications.
Betsy stays abreast of current horticulture and landscape design trends and issues by regularly attending relevant symposiums, conventions and lectures. She also travels extensively to public and private gardens around the country. Betsy is a member of Chicago Botanic Garden, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Minnesota State Horticultural Society.
Ok, but really, who is Betsy?
What is a garden?
My definition of a garden is more English than American. In Great Britain, a garden is a homeowner’s entire outdoor space, including lawn, flower beds, vegetable beds, containers, trees, shrubs, orchards, porches and terraces. Isn’t that friendly and inclusive? Our country generally uses the word garden to mean a little bed of annuals by the front door or a patch of vegetables in the back corner of the yard — spaces that are quite separate from other parts of the landscape or house.
I also bring the garden concept to indoor spaces. I like furniture reminiscent of outdoor gardens — antique wooden tables and rusty metal chairs. My home is always full of huge hanging baskets and garden containers of lush plants and flowers.
Plants are cool!
I’m crazy about plants……wildly, passionately nuts about them. I like to read about plants, talk about plants, study plants, visit plants. I like to grow, harvest, cook and eat plants. I like to look at plants in paintings, photographs and other art depictions. I like to support and belong to plant organizations like botanic gardens, arboretums, horticultural societies and local garden clubs.
And I rarely miss a chance to attend an interesting seminar or symposium on plants.
What is cooler than a plant? Certain plant cells, called chloroplasts, contain the green pigment, chlorophyll, where the rather magical process of photosynthesis occurs. Plants take carbon dioxide and water, and in the presence of sunlight, manufacture food for them and oxygen for us.
Basically, plants hold the key to life on earth. Very cool."
|
 |
