Deborah Triplett

Green Goddess: Ann Armstrong | Gardener

A long-time student of horticulture and a gardening enthusiast, Ann has taken her passion well beyond her own well cared-for front yard and backyard garden retreat.

“I just think that gardening is wonderful,” she says. She’s been a volunteer for Wing Haven Gardens and Bird Sanctuary for 28 years, first meeting the garden’s creators, Edwin and Elizabeth Clarkson, when she would bring her parents, who were also both avid gardeners and birders, to enjoy the garden on their visits from New York.

“They were both delightful people,” Ann says of the Clarksons. “Wing Haven is a garden frozen in time. It’s a state of mind.” In addition to spending about an hour in her own garden each day, Ann volunteers with Wing Haven in a variety of ways, from helping create the gardeners tours to assisting with the garden’s nursery program, but she gets much more enjoyment out of the gardens than simply the volunteer hours she puts in.

“I love the quietness there,” she says. “It’s like a sanctuary. It’s just wonderful being out in the garden.”

~Aleigh Acerni