Meet Pam Bennett
Pam Bennett
Pam Bennett went to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with the dream of becoming a teacher. Little did she know she would be teaching but it wouldn't be Physical Education. Her first summer back from college she worked at a small garden center in her hometown Springfield, Ohio and it changed her life.
That's where she "fell in love with the plant world." Pam studied at Miami for another year, then transferred to The Ohio State University and majored in Landscape Horticulture. Thus began her journey into the gardening world and ignited a passion for plants and flowers that continues to burn to this date.
Pam returned to Downing's Garden Center each summer thereafter and when she graduated, she took full-time employment. It soon changed hands and became Tom & Jerry's Gardenland and she eventually became its general manager after 11 years. The garden center specialized in annuals and nursery stock such as trees and shrubs. Customers came mainly for the fun, unique plants, but under Pam's guidance they also came for the excellent customer service.
As a child, Pam did not have any real desire to garden because she thought gardening was just about chores like weeding. She remembers one incident in high school when she helped her mother shell peas. She hated it. Still, her most pleasant gardening memory as a child is dead heading petunias at her grandmother's house in the summers.
While attending Ohio State her advisor and mentor was Dr. Steven Still. Dr. Still taught woody ornamentals where Pam learned over 900 species of trees. Not surprisingly, she can still remember most of them.
Today, Pam is the State Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator for Ohio and Horticulture Educator and Director for Ohio State University Extension in Clark County. She started at the Extension Office in 1992. Her first project at the Extension Office was to start a Master Gardener Volunteer program.
As her knowledge and experience has grown, Pam's developed some plant preferences. Her favorite flower is the calla lily, favorite tree is the ginkgo, and favorite shrub is the witch-hazel. Pam loves native plants but she also likes to cultivate non-local varieties and she tries to maintain a nice balance between the two. When asked which season she prefers, she admits it's a tie between spring, summer, and fall.
Pam's favorite gardening advice is to "learn from doing." She supports trial and error and just plain experimenting to gain hands-on experience. She also believes in listening to the experiences of others. For example, she's learned a lot from customers and her volunteers over the years. Pam says that most gardeners are more than willing to share their knowledge.
As for Pam's personal garden, she is currently between houses so it's on hold. Instead, she's focused on installing a new perennial garden on the grounds at the Clark County Extension Office. With the Extension Office's new Kubota tractor, her volunteers and Pam's gardening expertise, it is easy to assume it will be interesting as well as beautiful.
So, what started as just a summer job for Pam Bennett has developed into a love for plants and a passion for gardening that she is pleased to share with others. Ohio is lucky to have such a dedicated horticulturalist running its Master Gardener Volunteer program.
To learn more about the Ohio Master Gardener program or the Clark County Extension programs, visit:
