As our team grows at Garden Streets, we’re very fortunate to have awesome employees who value making a difference through interior plant design. We’d love for you to learn more about them and hear their stories directly. We kick off our spotlight series with Pam Blittersdorf, a Master Gardener and one of our original employees who helps with plants and operations.
How did you become interested in plants? What led you to becoming a Master Gardener?
My botanical interests started when I was a small child. My mother and grandmother were active in the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and I spent a lot of time attending flower shows and hanging out in greenhouses.
Over the years, I kept a garden whenever the opportunity presented itself- a challenge, since I’ve lived in cities most of my life! When I retired from my regular career, there was still so much I wanted to learn. Becoming a Master Gardener seemed the best way of attacking that. It was such a rewarding process!
How can plants help with wellness in commercial and residential places?
It is important for people to feel a connection with the places where they spend time. It’s hard to feel connected to furniture and technology, so plants fill an important gap in our interior plantscapes & environments.
Studies have shown that plants in the workplace or classroom allow people to lend greater focus to the tasks they need to perform. I believe that is because they ease the mind and reduce stress. Oh, and they’re pretty.
What’s a gardening tip that could benefit all of us?
There’s no such thing as a “green thumb.” There’s only knowledge and caring. The most you learn, the more fun it is (and the more you realize there’s so much more to learn).
The more you care, the more you notice little details. Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve killed a plant or two. Most of us have, and it’s part of the learning process.
What are easy ways to learn and get more involved with plants and plant care?
You can take as many steps as you like down that path! Start with some internet research, check your local library for how-to books. Take a look at what your neighbors are growing and have a conversation with them about that.
Try growing a plant that’s unknown to you. Join your local garden club; many of them have informative programs with great speakers. And make sure you visit a botanical garden, either close to home or on vacation, just to be amazed and inspired.
As a Master Gardener, how do you hope to empower and inspire others with plants?
One of the best parts of being a Master Gardener is that volunteerism is a major part of the program. Many of my volunteer hours have spent in public gardens, with the chance to interact with visitors. I especially enjoy talking with kids, because you can use their own sense of wonder with the natural world to inspire them to become guardians of what they see.
What do you enjoy most about working with Garden Streets?
I like seeing the plants thrive. I notice every set-back and every bit of progress. Every new leaf is a little triumph. But the best part of the job is the conversations I have with people: answering their questions and hearing about how much they enjoy having plants around them.
