Hi there and welcome!
I’m Sue and The Curious Gardener is the product of a lifetime love for all things gardening.
The story starts back in the late 1990s when I enrolled in the Horticulture (Parks & Gardens) trade course at Ryde TAFE. I have always been a keen gardener, just like my Mum and my grandmother. I was living on the NSW Central Coast at the time and wanted to pursue a career in the field that would give me joy (you know the old saying… do a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life).
I completed the course achieving the ‘First in the State’ award for that year (I even attended a little ceremony). With my plaque and my trade certificate in hand I went off in pursuit of a new career.
Enter the drought of the early 2000s. Sydney (and the rest of the country) was experiencing the driest period we’d had in quite some time. Very strict water restrictions were in place and everyone was conserving as much water as they possibly could. Not a great time for the horticulture industry where garden centres were dropping like flies.
I was working in a lovely nursery in Erina Heights called Bumble Bee Garden Centre at the time. A quaint, family owned business that I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of. Sadly, Bumble Bee succumbed to the effects of the relentless drought and despite best efforts to save it, closed it doors mid 2000s.
At this time I moved from the Central Coast back to Sydney, raising my four kids while working part-time in several other garden centres over many years. Nowadays, I still live in Sydney with my partner Dave, my youngest son Lucas (all the others grew up and went on adventures) and our two dogs Clancy and Dorry. I work in the plumbing industry now (I know, right!) which gives me the opportunity to travel all over Sydney, constantly spotting wonderful and often curious plants, gardens and gardeners.
My aim with The Curious Gardener is to create a vibrant, informative space filled with everything weird and wonderful about gardening. I love sharing the sights I see and things I’ve learned over the years and I really love hearing other gardener’s stories, hints, tips and tricks. As all gardeners know, gardening is in the DNA.
I hope you enjoy the content shared and I’m so glad you’re here.
Welcome to the curious family!
Sue x
