The Bio

Originally from a small French Acadian village in the east coast of Canada, I moved to Ottawa, Ontario in my mid-20's to get an administrative career.  I married and moved into a small bungalow on a small city lot.  My Mother-in-law was an avid gardener, creating a garden retreat in her small back yard. When she found me constantly drawn to sit there instead of indoors, she gladly shared her plants, prompting me to create my own garden space at home. That was the start of my gardening passion.

Being so inexperienced,  I attempted to grow sun-loving annuals amongst packed tree roots in full shade, threw seeds down all willy-nilly without giving a single thought to how they would grow!  What on  earth was I thinking?  Turning to gardening magazines and seed catalogs and then the internet with its immense knowledge base, I quickly learned that gardening was something that I cherished and soon created wonderful rainbows in my gardens! Starting seeds indoors provided me with hundreds of choices and allowed me to make the most of my very short Canadian growing season.

My very first Bearded Iris was a gift of 3 small rhizomes from my Mother-In-Law in 1994.  In the spring, those 3 small rhizomes adorned sweet scented blooms, a historic variety that I have never been able to identify.  It was so prolific that I lifted the clump and divided it up into 48 rhizomes just 2 years later and then planted them throughout the property.  

La Vie En Rose Gardens set roots on a small city lot in 1995 where I harvested seed and held plant sales throughout the growing season.  Seeds and Home & Garden products were then introduced to the international marketplace on eBay in 1998.  In 2001, all plants were dug up, transported and replanted on our new 3-acre country property.  This is when my obsession for the Bearded Iris went  completely wild as I discovered that the  lilac-colored historic that was given to me years before was a mere drop in the bucket of the thousands of cultivars available.  

My collection quickly grew to over 300 cultivars and Bearded Iris  became the focal point of my efforts.  I have not yet attempted hybridizing, a process that I find absolutely amazing, but intent on 'dabbing' at it this coming bloom season.

The year 2006 brought dissappointment.  We sold our property, went our seperate ways and I moved back to the city where my collection is now divided between my own small city lot and at host gardens.  The only thing preventing me from acquiring even more for my collection is the lack of space! 

I continue to source different seed varieties as well as unique items for home and garden.  I truly hope that you will visit my "Rows" often and that you will find just what you are looking for.    

Floriferously yours!

Owner / Grower