Who is this Guy, Mr. SmartyPlants??

Hi! My name is Richard and I'm "Mr. Smarty Plants". It is a name that my wife gave me in a fit of - shall we say laughter - when I was briefing her on the correct way to repot a plant.  It just stuck and has been my moniker ever since

I started gardening seriously in the early 1990's while residing in Florida, but my father got me involved with it while I was a kid sometime during the Stone Age.  If I recall, I wasn't too thrilled at the time but I must admit I learned a lot from him.

In Florida I was employed as a nursery representative - or vendor as they're called in the trade - and sold live goods to all the big box home improvement stores.  The nurseries I represented are among the best in the business and I learned plenty from them! 

In time, although a seasoned "road-warrior", travel became burdensome and I had enough of "highway hiney". i was offered a position with one of the "big box stores" in the garden department and have been with them ever since.  You may have seen me in Tampa at the Carrollwood store wearing a pink pith helmet. That hat became my trademark. 

While in Tampa, one field I specialized in was xeriscaping simply because of the price of water. I knew that every time I turned on my sprinklers I could expect an additional $50 added to my water bill.  I kept doing it (and often re-doing it) until I got it right.

In 2006 my family and I moved to Arkansas to be closer to my wife's family. I had to learn a whole new way of gardening.  I'm still learning.  I'm experimenting with many different types of plants that could not be grown in Tampa. I'm also dealing with a shaded (and wooded) back yard where I am playing with a woodlands garden, installing new beds, perennials, bulbs and such.  So far... So good.

In Arkansas I've had to learn new plants and a new USDA Hardiness zone, so, to speed things up, I earned my Master Gardener Credentials for this area... just when you think you have plants figured out right?  I'm still learning everyday - you always will in the plant world.

For those of you who want to know what I look like without the pink pith helmet.