HSA President Taps Interior Design for Garden Design

By Paris Wolfe, Blogmaster, The Herb Society of America

Susan Liechty had her first herb garden in 1979 after purchasing her first home. A “self-taught herbie and trial-and-error gardener,” she was one of two woman who, in 1997, started the Delaware County, Ohio, Unit of HSA. Little did she know her involvement would eventually lead to HSA President of the Board of Directors.

In the volunteer position she does a little bit of everything, from board coordination and fundraising to development and research.

She started with HSA on the board of directors in 2005, serving two terms as the Great Lakes district delegate. That led to vice president and, now, president

“My focus is to continue to make HSA relevant into the future as an organization that will inspire future gardeners,” she says. Part of that includes building and maintaining membership. “The Herb Society has always held a special place in my heart for the love of herbs, gardening and the members I’ve met over the years. It is indeed a commitment to serve on the national board but the benefits far outweigh the work.”

“I would encourage any member of HSA to share their many talents and areas of expertise serving on the board of directors in the future for a rewarding experience.”

An Advanced Master Gardener since 1995, Susan has held several positions with the master gardening association, including president, education chair, State of Ohio advisory board as well as started and chaired a local community garden project.

In her real life, Susan has been an Interior Designer for 30 years. Her experiences with interior design have added to the layout, color selections and exterior ‘rooms’ that have been created for the garden.

Susan has many gardens on her six-acre property, including herbs, vegetables, perennials, fruit and specimen trees and shrubs.

“I’m fortunate to have a greenhouse and cold frames so I can extend my greens and herbs into the winter,” she notes. Her opportunity to maintain tender perennials through the winter is enviable. “My 5 feet tall rosemary trees, bay tree, fig tree and scented geraniums are housed in the greenhouse,” she says. “I spend time there during the winter reading a good book in the warmth of the greenhouse with snow on the ground and below 0 F temperatures.”

Susan will be president until July 1, 2016, when the current vice president takes on the role and Susan moves into the role of nominating chair.

She lives in Delaware Ohio with her husband Jerry and rescue dog Piccolo. Other interests are watercolor painting, blogging, cooking with her husband, photography and all things Italian. Susan and Jerry have been very fortunate to have travelled to Italy six times and are currently planning the next trip in 2016.