Carol Wallace
For nearly 25 years I trudged reluctantly off to the University to teach - and if the weather was nice chances were excellent that I stood in front of my classes in my gardening clogs. There was certain to be dirt under my fingernails and weeder's calluses on my index finger. I may as well have hung a big sign around my neck saying "I'd rather be gardening."
Because it was (and is) true.
And if I couldn't be gardening (like when it's winter and there are two feet of snow on the ground, or when it's too dark to tell if I'm on the grass or in the dirt) I wanted to write about gardening. Writing - being a "real writer" was my life's ambition from the time I was eight years old.
And so here I am - doing what I always wanted to do and was too chicken to attempt until the fates decided to give me my wishes. (That's two - I have only one wish left and am saving it for something wonderful. Like maybe just once getting the garden in my yard to look like the one in my imagination.)
I was raised in the big city - Detroit.. Our yards were about the same size as a king-sized mattress. Not much gardening going on. My father was a funeral director so flowers didn't intrigue me much. At least not cut flowers. And definitely not gladiolus.
I went to grad school at University of Iowa where I shared a rented house with two others. It had a yard marginally larger than the ones I grew up with, and for some reason I started itching to somehow put my stamp on the property. That's where I planted my first garden.
Incidentally I picked up a Ph.D. in Communication, with a specialization in Small Business Advertising and Media Law, which is how I ended up as a college professor in Scranton, PA and a gardener in the nearby town of Chinchilla, PA. I got married to a fellow Communication professor, we bought a gigantic old house with tons of land (and tons of rock!) which needed lots of TLC both inside and out. I've planted real gardens outdoors and created pretend ones in paint and fabric inside.
And I've been gardening and writing about this ever since.
Latest Articles
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Get Three Season Color with Variegated Japanese Maples
Variegated Japanese maples add color to the garden and interesting form, making them ideal as specimen trees or even specimens in the beds.
Apr 30, 2010
- Carol Wallace
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How to Write Attention Grabbing, Effective Headlines
Headlines take up where the tag line leaves off - acquainting the target audience with different features of the business in an attention-getting way
Apr 20, 2010
- Carol Wallace
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Conveying Image and Price Range in an Advertising Layout
Print and web advertising convey price range and image without saying a word. Typefaces and negative space affect viewer perception of these attributes.
Apr 12, 2010
- Carol Wallace
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How to Advertise a Small Business
The goal of effective advertising is to interpret the want of the target audience and then make a promise in the ads that speaks to that want.
Dec 19, 2009
- Carol Wallace
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How to Dye and Color Flowers
It's easy to turn flowers - especially light colored ones - into hues that, as cut flowers will match your home décor or create a festive holiday look.
Oct 22, 2009
- Carol Wallace
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Multi-colored Flowering Plants
Many flowers change color as they mature, creating the appearance of a multi-colored plant.
Oct 14, 2009
- Carol Wallace
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Roses that Bloom in Multicolor
Some shrubs almost look like trick plants, because they flower in several colors at any given time in their blooming period.
Oct 5, 2009
- Carol Wallace
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Heucheras - the Most Colorful Foliage Plants
Heucheras come in more foliage colors than any other plant. In fact they come in almost every color but blue.
Sep 18, 2009
- Carol Wallace
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The Darkest Trees and Shrubs
There are two shrubs that have leaves that are more black than anything - and several more in dark colors deep enough to work as if they were ebony colored.
Aug 17, 2009
- Carol Wallace
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Dark Flowers - the Blackest of Blooms
A true black flower absorbs all light rays and reflects nothing back. Only one bloom truly fits that bill. But many dark blossoms will work to create a dark garden.
Aug 1, 2009
- Carol Wallace
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