Native New Mexican currently based in mid-Atlantic

Hello everyone, 

I joined NARGS about a year ago and have attended a few meetings of the Delaware Valley Chapter. 

I recently returned from three months in the UK and France, where I volunteered at RBG Edinburgh and Lautaret Alpine Botanical Garden in the French alps. It was an amazing adventure, both to experience large rock and alpine collections and the culture of the countries, as this was my first visit to Europe! I kept a blog while I was traveling: http://plantsinhighplaces.blogspot.com/

I was very fortunate to receive a grant from the SRGC's Diana Aitchison Fund to help support my experience. While I was in Scotland, I attended the SRGC's 80th birthday celebration. Seems like a great organization as well!

I'm from New Mexico, but have done most of my horticultural training in Pennsylvania. I graduated from Longwood Garden's Professional Gardener program last December. Though I have always been fond of plants from arid regions, the beauty and adaptations of alpine plants are also captivating! 

Currently I'm looking for a horticulturist position, ideally at a public garden. I would love to work with a rock garden or alpine plants, however I am also interested in gardens with a water conservation/sustainable gardening focus. I'm flexible as far as location. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated!

I look forward to becoming more involved with NARGS!

All the best,

Mariel