Marianne Binetti

So does Marianne Binetti really have a green thumb? Not perfectly green, but it is in the dirt quite a bit and very adept at pulling weeds. Over the years I’ve probably learned more about plants from working in my own garden, managing a florist and helping at a nursery than I did from the four years spent studying horticulture and getting a degree at Washington State University. (The very same WSU that started the now international master gardener program.) My first gardening column in 1982 was for my hometown newspaper in Enumclaw, Washington. That grew into a self-syndicated weekly column that runs in more than a dozen newspapers in Western Washington.

A couple of years later my first book “Tips for Carefree Landscapes” debuted, written for the lazy gardener that could care less about Latin plant names. This was followed by “Shortcuts for Accenting Your Garden” with quick tips on how to landscape an entire yard or just spruce up a patio. It was promoting these books that got me started with the TV appearances and writing for magazines, and now I divide my time between writing for Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest magazines, lecturing, guesting on radio and TV shows, writing my syndicated column, along with a special gardening column that runs each Thursday in the Seattle P-I.

In case you’ve heard the rumors about my childhood, yes, it’s true I grew up the oldest girl in a family of 16 children, (same Mom and Dad) and reading ”The Secret Garden” as a 12 year old is what inspired me to start designing my first garden. Gardening was also a way to escape the high energy and constant excitement of living with 10 brothers and 5 sisters, and those of you that have discovered the peace and satisfaction of a few minutes spent in the garden know exactly what I'm talking about.

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