By Gianna Bielenda

Born and raised Florida native, Amy has been a starting point in many master gardeners' journeys here in Davidson County. In this article, we’ll learn about Amy’s story and what led her to becoming such an influential person in our community.

Growing up in Orlando, the highly dense urban environment was not ideal for fostering a passion for the garden at a young age. However, once high school hit, Amy’s mother created a pollinator garden which quickly became her solace. “I never helped hands on, but I enjoyed being outside and sitting in the garden with my mother every evening,” says Amy. Tucking the joy from that peaceful reprieve in the back of her pocket, she went onto college to study journalism.

Amy explains her 18 year old self’s reaction, “I quickly realized that I hated journalism and didn't really want to be in college.” In fact, she had dreams of pursuing the Peace Corps after high school. After some parental persuasion and a summer in the mountains of Colorado operating a chair lift, she went back to college with a clear mission in mind: earning a degree that would pave the way to a life outdoors.

Immediately switching majors to plant science & sustainable food production, Amy became increasingly more involved with the community at University of Florida. In college, Amy worked as a research assistant in an ornamental plant breeding lab. Amy explains, “We did all the trials and data collection for companies like Proven Winners and Syngenta before they released anything to market.” An incredibly immersive experience which didn’t stop there. Amy then got a job working in Disney’s Epcot hydroponic greenhouses. It was there where her lab co-worker, originally from TN, passed along the position of deputy director at Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

Being from Florida with different species of plants, soil, growing season, etc., Amy explains her initial intimidation, “Although I had a degree in plant science with good theoretical knowledge, so many people here have decades of hands-on experience and know a lot more than I do.” However, no one has ever put pressure on Amy other than herself. With anything new, a good mentor makes all the difference and thankfully Amy had just that. “The prior agent David Cook, who in that first year, was always there to shadow and guide me,” Amy expresses her deep gratitude for that experience with David who was more than happy to share his knowledge while in retirement.

Between the master gardener interns, hands-on training, residential diagnostic visits, other courses and workshops throughout the year, Amy definitely has her hands full. Yet, getting to genuinely bond with gardeners who contribute to the community in their own way is one of the many positives that she enjoys on a day to day basis. “Since I’ve been a facilitator, I have seen very motivated and dedicated people who are looking to give back and connect with their neighbors."

Amy explains some of the things she’s noticed stepping into her role, “I’ve noticed a big shift with a younger demographic.” Historically, the interns were primarily retirees, but that is no longer the case. In fact, a couple years back, they even had a high school senior graduate the program. The people of the group have not only shifted generationally, but culturally too, adding an array of diverse backgrounds of individuals taking an interest in the garden.

Touching on the theme of our newsletter, Gardening History in Nashville, Amy describes Nashville’s evolution to becoming a more inclusive community. Amy describes how people are becoming one with the environment, “I think people are realizing more that the garden is no longer separate from us and our yards and gardens are very much a part of these bigger ecosystems.” Steering away from the mindset of gardening being purely aesthetic, people are thinking more about functionality and asking the question of if their garden is contributing to biodiversity.

Expectations aside, Amy has learned to love leaning into more of her soft skills. As someone who naturally gravitates to being behind the scenes, she has surprised herself with how much building community and being there for people can impact her experience. “This job has really humbled me,” Amy states, “I am so used to doing everything on my own, but the amount of times I’ve had to call a master gardener for help has taught me that it is not always a bad thing to rely on others.” Similar to her experimental gardening style, Amy has embraced the evolving challenges this role has provided. Ultimately gravitating towards new experiences that have taught her more than any job title could.