How did you first find your interest in gardening?
"That happened a long time ago. My father and my mother planted flowers. She couldn't work flowers too well because she had arthritis.so I started off doing little pots.and basically that's how I got started. "

What has been your greatest accomplishment as a Master Gardener?
"I wouldn't say this is my greatest accomplishment, but one thing that's kind of pleasing is that I haven't been a Master Gardener long. After my parents died in 1999, I wanted to do something successful. Once again, my mother loved flowers and my father appreciated flowers and I wanted to something different. Basically, I took their grave site and made it into a flower bed. But it wasn't just a flower bed because what I ended up doing is I used the type of flowers I used my first year or so, and once the flowers matured, you couldn't tell it was a grave site because everything was in formation. It wasn't a beautiful flower bed and you had no idea it was a grave site. So you can say, that was one of my best things."

What type of projects have you invested most of your time in?
"The projects with the Master Gardener Association, we've done things like plant plants and help others. We serve the community, that's our major purpose.."

What year did you graduate from the Master Gardener training class?
"2002."

What is your favorite aspect of the Master Gardener program?
"One of my favorite times is [MG College]. This is my first time coming and it's good to be around all of my compadres. It's a good feeling, and I really have enjoyed every day since I've been here."

In what area of gardening would you say you're most experienced in?
"It's a toss-up. I would feel guilty if I didn't do neither one [flowers and vegetables]. My mother loved flowers and I have to have my flowers. I love doing vegetable gardening, which I helped my father with as well. It's hard for me not to do one without the other, so I can flip a coin."

What advice would you give to new gardeners?
"I would tell them if it's something you love, then there's nothing you can't do. We've always said start small. That's the key, because if you start humongous, you get frustrated. I've often said a garden is like a cook. I'm not a great cook, but as a cook, you make mistakes. But you learn from your mistakes and then you try something different. You know, there's no bad garden. Everybody has their own little knack. You just do what you can with the environment you have to work with."