For the love of nature

By Kathy Van Mullekom

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (TNS)

Beverly Martin is proud of the love she has for nature because it follows in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother who taught her to appreciate all things beautiful outdoors.

“My mother created a beautiful garden carving out beds on a heavily shaded, root riddled rocky slope,” says Martin, who lives and gardens in southeastern Virginia.

“Of course we kids were enlisted to help, weeding and digging, and we each learned a bit in the process. I did not fully appreciate her efforts till I had a place to call my own.

“I made all the mistakes young homebuyers still make today. Purchasing only flowers to start out, not amending the soil, narrow beds, planting things too close together.”

While stationed in England, Martin fell in love with the English landscapes – and decided one day she would study landscape design.

Back in the United States, Martin fulfilled her dream to study landscaping design, and earned a landscape design certificate at the University of Richmond.

Gardening philosophy

“I believe it is a civic duty to maintain your property in a way that is beneficial to the environment,” says Martin.

“If you can add beauty to your neighborhood and increase neighborhood pride at the same time, why wouldn’t you?”