Debra Knapke, The Garden Sage |
I am often asked what the Garden Sage “is.” I wanted
a name for my design and consulting business that incorporated
herbs (my favorite herbs are in the mint family: thyme, lavender,
rosemary, sage, oregano, basil and mint), and gardens. My husband
said that I was always giving advice on how to grow plants and
design gardens, so he suggested The Garden Sage. It stuck.
Horticulture and teaching is my third career. I have a Masters
in Horticulture, a Masters in Speech / Language Pathology, and
Bachelors in Speech and Hearing Science with a minor in Vocal
Music Performance from The Ohio State University. There are
just so many choices when it comes to deciding what you are
going to do “for the rest of your life.” And, like
many others, I’ve taken my time finding my path.
Fresh out of high school, I was bound and determined to sing
opera at the Met someday. Lofty goals are wonderful. Being a
music student and singing in the opera chorus in Columbus for
a total of seven years was a wonderful experience. But one has
to come down to earth. I married a wonderful man, had three
children and worked in the field of speech and language for
11 years. When our youngest was in kindergarten, I decided to
go back to school for a masters in Horticulture. I had been
intuitively gardening for years, and I wanted to know why things
happened the way they did.
Inniswood Metro Gardens is one of my favorite places to be outside
of my own garden. I have been a volunteer since 1989. For three
years (1997-2000) I was the curator of the Central Ohio Unit
of the Herb Society of America herb garden, and I was president
of the Inniswood Garden Society for years 1997-99. In 1998,
I initiated the development effort for The Sisters’ Garden—a
children’s garden—which was completed and dedicated
on June 12, 2002. I love to talk about this beautiful garden…
so ask me.
Presently, I am on the faculty at Columbus State Community College
where I teach Herbaceous Plants 1, Herbaceous
Plants 2, Specialty Gardens and Sustainable Landscape Practices and Design. I enjoy writing and I have
written articles for local and state-wide newsletters, and for
Garden Gate and Fine Gardening magazines. I also enjoy talking
and sharing information about gardens and garden related subjects.
And finally, I have an eclectic garden that consists of 26 different
garden areas: a little bit of this and a little bit of that—all
over. There is something growing, blooming or budding during
most of the year. I love to experiment, and soon most of the
grass on our 2/3 of an acre will be skinny pathways from one
garden to the next.
You are welcome to visit! |
