Bio

I was raised in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, the third of four brothers. Our father was a citrus farmer and mother was the city secretary of our home town of Edcouch. After high school I went to college at at Texas Tech University and graduated in 1973 with a degree in Range and Wildlife Management. I couldn't find a job as a biologist, so I followed my second interest, which was plants. In 1975 I got a job with Greenleaf Nursery in the customer service department. Greenleaf was one of the largest wholesale grower in the country selling plants from the Rocky Mountains to the east coast. I worked at the nursery in El Campo, southwest of Houston. In 1980 I was promoted to sales representative for Central Texas and moved to Austin. I held the position until I retired in July of 2016. 

     At Greenleaf I learned much about the production and maintenance of hundreds of varieties of plants. And, working with the nurserymen and landscapers here in Central Texas over the past 36 years, I've learned much more. Here in Central Texas we have some of the most knowledgeable horticulturists in the Southwest. 

     After retirement I found I missed the plant world and decided I wanted to stay involved. So, sharing what I have learned over the past forty years is how i will do it.

     I've been married to my wife, Sharyn, for 20 years. I love the outdoors and in my spare time I play golf, hunt, fish, and travel. I also enjoy birding, photography, and writing fiction. We are very family oriented and love to spend time on the lake with our daughter, her husband and their three sons. We also spend a lot of time watching the grandkids play baseball and football.

     I am a Texas Certified Nursery Professional (TCNP No. 489) and a Certified Arborist (TX-4336A).

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