Sue Speichert

Meet Sue Speichert

As a little girl growing up in Dolton, IL, Sue Speichert often wandered the prairie near her home or helped in a neighbor’s garden. She loved being in the warmth of the sun, listening to birds and discovering the beauty of nature. Her natural curiosity led to a life-long passion for gardening. At around six years of age she started bringing plants home and replanting them in her parent’s garden. Early favorites were dogtooth violets (gathered from the prairie), milkweed and nasturtium. Her garden evolved as she discovered different plants and developed the perception that perhaps there is more to gardening than just the obvious benefits.

It’s likely that these non-tangibles helped get her through the stress of law school. Sue’s law career began in Chicago writing legal opinions. She eventually ended up clerking for a judge on the Illinois Supreme Court. During those years Sue never lost the passion for gardening. She used gardening as a leisure activity to distract herself from the pressures of the job. Over time she realized that she did not find the satisfaction received from gardening in the practice of law. “Connecting to gardening and nature provides a certain psychological and spiritual release that people need in order to let go of things, heal and live happy lives – unlike the practice of law,” Sue recalls.

Sue’s passion for gardening and her desire to discover and identify new plants led her to many of the nurseries in Chicago. However, there was a mom and pop nursery, close to her home, which she particularly enjoyed. The nursery staff thought that one of their co-workers, Greg Speichert, a virtual gardening encyclopedia, would make a good match with Sue. Whenever Sue visited the nursery the staff would mysteriously disappear so that Greg would be the associate to attend to her. After eighteen months, and several gardening focused dates, Sue and Greg were married.

From 1989 until 2003 Sue and Greg owned Crystal Palace Perennials, Ltd., a wholesale and retail plant production operation, in St. John, IN. They formed the company to provide high quality water plants. Throughout this period, and until 2006, Sue was also the publisher of Water Gardening Magazine, a bi-monthly consumer magazine devoted to educating water gardener hobbyists and homeowners about caring for and enjoying pond and water gardening.

In 2007, Sue’s husband, Greg, became the Director of Hilltop Gardens at Indiana University and they relocated to Bloomington, IN. One of the missions at Hilltop Gardens is to teach the next generation about plants and the importance of gardening. Of course, that fits nicely with Sue’s gardening philosophy, too. Gardening is how Sue gives back to her environment and the people she shares it with. You can often find Sue today wandering natural lands and gardens throughout southern Indiana.

Note, Greg Speichert, Sue’s beloved husband, died November 4, 2010.

Sue is a co-author of The Encyclopedia of Water Garden Plants and Ortho's - All About Water Gardening and has contributed to numerous gardening magazines and journals. The book is available at Amazon.com.

Find out more about Sue’s books, co-authored with her husband, Greg Speichert, Encyclopedia of Water Garden Plants and Timber Press Pocket Guide to Water Garden Plants, go to TimberPress.com.

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