Horticulture Expo blooms at Bridge View Center - Ottumwa Courier
McDonald gave the keynote speech at the All-Iowa Horticulture Exposition at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa Friday.
McDonald, who was garden editor of Better Homes and Gardens and is now friends director at the Des Moines Botanical Center, talked about his experiences traveling the world searching for rare plants and gardens.
“I have had a charmed life to get paid to look for beautiful gardens,” he said.
McDonald told stories of friends he has made and how important gardening has been in his life.
“We get hours of pleasure for minutes of gardening,” he said. “Planting a seed is a hopeful act.”
McDonald said when he lived in New York City in the 1980s, he lived in a high-rise apartment and didn’t have much room to plant. But that didn’t stop him. His apartment was filled with nearly 300 plants.
