Marti Neely, FAPLD

Growing up in a military family, Marti was fortunate to travel to and live in some diverse locations, from North Dakota to Puerto Rico. In her earliest gardening memory, sunflowers were like Jacks’ beanstalks reaching into the clouds. Their huge heads revealed hundreds of tasty seeds to be devoured by flocks of birds. Her grandmother Elsa often sent photos of herself in front of the famous floral clocks that were prominent in the display gardens of the Pacific Northwest, where she lived. Photos of irises and peonies were some of her favorites to share, and those plants continue to bring a smile to Marti’s face each spring.

As a newlywed, Marti tried her own hand at gardening with varied success, and with continued practice and also through reading gardening books and periodicals, her skills improved. Her B.A. in fine art and a foray into designing the annual flower beds at her church led her to study horticulture and landscape design at her local community college. Marti is now a Fellow of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (FAPLD), has over 30 years of practice as a residential landscape designer with continuing education in professional courses through various organizations, and has traveled to gardens across the United States, England, and the Netherlands. She has had the opportunity to see the best of the best and experience the challenges, successes, and failures one finds in the world of gardening. Using this knowledge to create outdoor living spaces that enhance the quality of life of those who use them and sharing these skills with others is what Marti does best.