The Garden Provides a Window to the Future

Posted in Learning Experiences on January 27 2010, by Plant Talk

Career-Changer Redirected Through Continuing Education Classes

Valerie D’Antonio holds a Certificate in Landscape Design from The New York Botanical Garden’s Continuing Education program and is principal and owner of D’Antonio Landscape Design, Inc. She will tell her career-changing story during the free Career Night on February 3.

In the early 1980s I bought a small row house in Hoboken, N.J., on a street named Garden (who knew?!). After the closing I popped open a bottle of Moet, looked out the kitchen window at my new backyard, and thought, “What do I do with that space?”

At the time I worked for AT&T, and co-workers pointed me in the direction of The New York Botanical Garden, where I began to seek gardening advice. I decided to start small and attended NYBG’s one-day classes on window-box gardening. The classes gave me the confidence to plant and install boxes on the five front windows of my three-story house. The bright red geraniums, purple lobelia, and white alyssum were striking against the house’s white-painted brick. Soon after, my neighbors began asking me to plant their window boxes.

Twenty years later, after I left my corporate job, NYBG again came to my rescue. I was still lamenting my lackluster backyard when I received the Garden’s Continuing Education catalog where I found that the Garden offers certificate programs, lectures, and seminars aimed at developing a career in the world of horticulture. 

I attended an Open House, and talked with instructors about the courses. I was impressed with their professionalism and with the Garden itself. I took a deep breath and jumped in, registering for the Landscape Design Summer Intensive—five weeks of all-day study, Monday through Friday, at the end of which you come away with more than half the hours needed for a Certificate.

Instructors, all working professionals, took us to their residential design projects where I learned site analysis and measuring techniques. In planting design, Susan Cohen, Coordinator of the Landscape Design program, taught me how to develop plans with a focus on plant form, texture, and multi-season interest.

Classes drew upon the valuable resources of the Garden itself: The grounds became a learning lab for topics such as garden-bed design, demonstrated by the Perennial Garden’s profusion of multi-colored shrubs and perennials, and best pruning practices, as we assessed fragrant witch-hazels on the grounds. No matter the season, the Garden offered up wonderful secrets about trees, shrubs, grasses, and perennials.

After receiving my Certificate, I had the confidence to pursue work with several landscape designers on urban backyard projects. When I decided to launch my own practice in 2005, I again turned to NYBG for advice and counsel. Judy Ogden’s class, “Starting a Small Landscaping Business,” was eye opening, leading me to raise key questions such as: What services will I offer? How do I deal with vendors? How do I determine my fee?

The teaching spirit of NYBG’s instructors and staff continues for me even today as I use them as a resource in my work.

When I looked out the window of my row house years ago, little did I know the impact NYBG would have in helping me see into the window of my future.

Hear Valerie’s story and learn about career options in landscape, horticulture, floral design, and horticultural therapy at the free Career Night, Wednesday, February 3, 6–8 p.m. Register now.