Get to know Sandra Begani

Katie McDaniel: How did you get started in horticulture?

Sandra Begani: Well, my horticulture story starts in high school when I wanted to work with plants. I just did not know how to get there, honestly. I really struggled between wanting to be an artist and wanting to be a scientist and grow plants and study plants out in the wild or in greenhouses. Nobody told me about horticulture, so I ended up going to school for art for a couple of years and then going to school for environmental science, which was amazing because it put me out in the field studying soil and rocks and plants. So, I kept inching closer and closer to where I wanted to be, which was working with plants, but also doing something creative and artistic. It wasn’t actually until a little bit later in life that I got a horticulture degree, which is what I have my master’s in, which really allowed me to fulfill that dream of growing plants.

KM: Do you use some of your artistic skills in horticulture and with the plants?

SB: I do feel like horticulture combines both of those worlds. Growing plants gives you that opportunity to prune them and grow them and have a scientific aspect behind everything that you’re doing, while still appreciating the aesthetic and the beauty in each individual plant and also the arrangement of all of the plants in your greenhouse or in your garden. So, I really do feel like horticulture is the perfect combination.

KM: What do you do as the UGA trial gardens manager?

SB: We are right in the middle of campus, and we were allowed to remain on campus after all the other greenhouses and agricultural research facilities were pushed out of town. Because we are a flower, primarily a flower ornamental research garden, they allowed us to stay right in the middle of campus. So, what that means is year-round, we have people walking around our garden. We have people studying inside of our greenhouse. We have volunteers and students coming in to learn about plants, so my day-to-day world looks very different whether it is in winter, summer, spring or fall. For example, in January and March, we’re planting seeds. We’re cleaning out the beds still from last year. We’re just getting into our really busy season, which is spring, as I’m sure most people in this audience know all about. Spring and summer is definitely our peak season, and that is the season where we research and evaluate all of the trial plants that are sent to us in the spring. Right now, we’re in the greenhouse. In the summer we’ll be out in the garden. In the fall we’ll be cleaning out the garden and moving things back into the greenhouse to start all over again, so I always tell our students and volunteers that coming for one day is not enough. You really need to visit the garden on a year-round basis to appreciate the full scope of everything that happens here.

KM: What is your favorite part of the job?

SB: I honestly feel like I achieved my goal; my dream was always to be able to work with plants all day, every day. So, I feel like I’m very spoiled, and that I was able to achieve that goal. Now, I feel like my favorite part is being able to share that with our campus community, our local community and encouraging others just to become addicted to plants in the same way that I was when I was their age. So yes, being a part of UGA, a part of this community is my favorite … besides the plants, of course.

KM: As a woman in horticulture, did you have any women role models growing up?

SB: Wow. So where can I begin? I come from a very, very long line of strong, independent women, and I think that those qualities are very important when you become a plant mama, because they all depend on you. So, you have to be strong to take care of plants each and every day. But more specifically, I mean, my role models would be my mother and grandmothers. I have a very special role model here at UGA who really taught me everything I know about growing plants in greenhouses, and that’s Pam Lewis. She is the greenhouse manager for the horticulture department. I assisted her for five years while I was getting my master’s in horticulture, and she completely took me under her wing. She studied with Dr. Armitage, who is a founder of the trial garden and with Dr. Ruter, the current director. I’m not a professor here, but I feel very fortunate to have so many great role models at UGA.

KM: What is your favorite plant and why?

SB: Okay, so this is a little bit sad, but one of my favorite plants actually does not grow in Georgia. Growing up in the Midwest, one of the most beautiful trees that grew all over town would be the lilac. When I moved to Georgia, I was really excited because you can grow so many more things in Georgia than you can grow up north. However, lilacs require a cooler climate, so one of my favorite plants in the whole world doesn’t even grow very well in Georgia. That is definitely something I miss about living in a cooler place. However, we have lots of beautiful plants in Georgia. One of my favorites that does grow well in Georgia is all kinds of begonias, specifically Rex begonias. They’re not perennial, but what I love about them is the escargot shape and the fact that you can bring them inside in the winter and bring them outside onto your shady patio or even in the landscape in the summer in Georgia.

For more: ugatrial.hort.uga.edu

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length. Watch the full video interview on our website.