Sherry Mitchell became an avid naturalist and plant lover as a child while horseback riding in the park near her home and in the family flower shop in Maryland. In the early 1980's she married and moved to a townhouse in Fairfax county. It was there that her long-standing love of plants and animals merged into a passion for gardening to attract wildlife.
After the birth of her son, she worked as a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator for the Wildlife Rescue League of Northern Virginia. She soon discovered the need for sharing information about gardening naturally in an area of rapidly vanishing habitat and began writing informative essays and columns about her gardening experiences. These appeared in the "Weekender" section of the Times Community Newspapers in Fairfax County and The Montgomery County Sentinel in Maryland. Her essays and writing have also appeared in national periodicals and on the World Wide Web.
Sherry Mitchell’s first book, Creating Sanctuary was a success with Washington area gardeners eager to create beautiful garden environments that nurture wildlife. Making a reasoned case for naturalized landscapes and pesticide-free gardening, Creating Sanctuary promotes balanced, ecology friendly landscapes that benefit wildlife, nature and the environment.
Book reviewer, Nita Rao, of the Sun Gazette newspaper said this about Creating Sanctuary: "While Mitchell has created an entertaining walk-through, it's not to be mistaken for a lightweight "how-to" on landscaping. Instead, Creating Sanctuary provides informative and detailed chapters on wildlife-friendly gardening."
Velma Berkey of The Journal newspaper said, "Sherry Mitchell's place of worship is the refuge she creates in her own backyard.... Her philosophy stresses communication with the environment; she extends hospitality to native plants and wildlife while relegating chemicals and insecticides to the forbidden list. Rachel Carson would be proud."
Sherry Mitchell is a regular speaker at the Washington Flower and Garden Show and has been a judge for local gardening competitions. As an instructor for Fairfax County Adult Education, her classes focus on garden design, townhouse landscaping, wildlife habitats, native plants, perennials, and other timely topics of the gardener's turf.
With her second book, The Townhouse Gardener, Sherry Mitchell shows how townhouse dwellers can turn tiny plots of grass into dream gardens. Beginners or experts alike, can extend their indoor living areas to the outdoors for entertaining and relaxing, and even increase the value of their townhouse.
Nearly 40 percent of new homes built in cities such as Washington, Philadelphia and New York are townhomes, which translates into thousands of tiny yards begging to be turned into sanctuaries. Having gardened herself in a townhouse garden, Sherry Mitchell comes to the rescue with innovative ideas for turning tiny, bare plots into intimate, highly livable outdoor rooms.
Fifteen original, well though-out designs inspire and acquaint townhouse gardeners with the techniques professionals use to make the most of small spaces. Each is beautifully illustrated with comprehensive plant lists and complete plans for easy, no-fail installation.
Filled with informative information, townhouse gardeners will find useful solutions for softening and enhancing privacy fences, adding the animation of water, screening for privacy on the sides as well as from above, designing decks that enhance the garden, dealing with intrusive utility boxes, creating atmosphere with lights, using container gardens effectively and even how to go about preparing the soil easily and effortlessly.
For gardeners who rent townhomes, there's even a special section that details the easy measures renters can take to create colorful, lively "temporary" gardens in a short period of time at little expense. Chapters are complemented with specialized “townhouse tips”, monthly calendar of garden tasks, garden planning worksheets, specialized plant lists, and sources for plants and materials.
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Directions: Longbranch Nature Center is located on Carlin Springs Road between Route 50 (Arlington Blvd.) and Columbia Pike. Watch for the sign at Northern Virginia Doctors Building. The center is behind the doctors office building. For more comprehensive directions, call the nature center at (703) 358-6535.
Page created 13 April 1999