Throughout my life I have had sincere interests in plants and art. My interests increased and began to spark into a passion between the ages of twelve and fourteen. During this time my family resided in France. After returning to the United States, I attended Monroe Career and Technical Institute for horticulture/landscaping in which I excelled. I graduated at the top of my class and found that studying and designing with plants comes natural to me. In high school, I enjoyed developing gardens at my parent’s home. Along with the gardens, flower arrangements for church functions, and many other activities associated with horticulture occupied my time. High School passed and I attended The Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades for three years. Here, I also graduated at the top of my class with an associate’s degree in horticulture, landscaping, and turf management. While attending Williamson, I had the opportunity to visit many gardens, participate all three years at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and learned many aspects of the green industry. My interests were diverse, however, I noticed a special inclination for landscape design, with an emphasis on artistic plant combinations.
As a designer, I’ve worked hard to gain a broad understanding of the plant sciences, the environment, and art; as well as gain a working knowledge of all areas of the landscape design trade. For these reasons, I’ve pursued internships in different areas of the green industry, and have gained experience from some of the best in the business.
One summer, I chose to work in Newport, Rhode Island. The internship helped me gain experience as an assistant to the greenhouse manager. Learning did not end in the greenhouse, as much help was needed building ponds with the landscape crew. After work I would continue my learning by visiting the Newport Mansions where I would take pictures and study the gardens and the architecture.
Throughout my training at Williamson, I felt the importance of gaining a better understanding of arboriculture. Knowing the solid reputation of Bartlett Tree Experts as being one of the best companies in safety and tree sciences, I decided to do an internship for Bartlett. I practiced arboriculture where I developed a good understanding of tree and shrub maintenance, and of seeing their proper uses in the landscape.
The following year, I decided to do an internship for Longwood Gardens which I believe to be one of the most beautiful, well-run public gardens in the world. At Longwood I did four different internships. During the summer I took the opportunity to do an internship working in four different Chateaux’s in France through the French Heritage Society.
Currently, I completed my undergraduate degree in Ornamental Hortulture/Environmental Design at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA. I plan to continue my education to obtain a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture and continue to develop Signature Mark Landscapes to provide top quality landscapes to my clients.
