supporting native wildlife , birds , squirrels , butterflies , bees , even praying mantises . Native species are declining and “ If we ’ re not going to help the world , who will ?” she asks . Her goal is a ratio of 80 to 20 percent , native to nonnative plants .
Cook ’ s gift for gardening is in her DNA . When she was a kid , her mother grew impatiens , morning glories and tomatoes , and like members of the family , she points out , plants can last generations . “ I have a sedum given to my mom by my brother ’ s mother-in-law ,” she says . “ I also have a peony that my mom got from her mom . It ’ s what inspired me to become a master gardener .”
Later she discovered Doug Tallamy ’ s Bringing Nature Home , a primer on how suburban gardening can sustain wildlife with native plants ; she calls it life-changing . The deal was sealed when she signed up for URI ’ s “ Gardening with the Masters ” tour , a pastime she calls a labor of love .
Despite working full-time as an OR nurse at Women and Infants Hospital , Cook may spend an equal number of hours each week puttering outdoors .
“ This is my happy place ,” she says . “ I ’ ve been known to be outside working after dark wearing a headlamp .”
Cook estimates her lawn and garden cover close to 10,000 square feet , but her advice to gardening newbies ? Start small . If you don ’ t have a ton of space , try a square foot vegetable garden , where elevated beds ( easier when it comes to moving and digging up plants ) have replaced the raised kind , and you can grow a lot more in less space . The Square Foot Gardening Foundation has plenty of cheat sheets for inspiration .
And don ’ t give up . “ I ’ ve had things that didn ’ t work out so I tried something different . Educate yourself . URI ’ s extension program has tons of classes .”
Most of all , digging around in the garden is fun and a great stress reliever , the butterfly effect ’ s sweet upside . “ Just enjoy it .” >>
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