The “third time is a charm” may apply to many things, but for one MG intern it was the third time she submitted an application that she was finally accepted for a class. Persistence is something that Amy Peterson has in abundance, whether in her passion for gardening, her career or her volunteer work. 

Shortly before Covid hit in 2020, Amy moved into a new house and soon found herself with extra time and a place to garden. Her mother had enjoyed container gardening but that was her only real experience planting and growing things outside up to that point. She learned quickly that she loved having her hands in the dirt and experimented with lots of plants, and also discovered she had lots to learn when some of the plants didn’t survive. The owner of a plant store near her home turned into a friend and garden buddy as they talked often during the pandemic and would share ideas and plants and make trips to McMinnville together. Amy says having a friend who owns a delivery truck is a wonderful thing! Describing herself as a “cramscaping chaos gardener,” Amy still loves to choose new plants she loves for her garden and see what happens, but is also becoming a big believer in the concept of Right Plant- Right Place. She values the knowledge she is gaining in the MG classes and plans to put her garden on the garden tour. One part of caring for her yard she does not like is lawn care so she leaves the mowing, edging and everything related to others. Her newest yard project is adding a small pond where a dead Crape Myrtle was removed and she hopes to fill it with native aquatic plants.

Amy works full-time in the trust and wealth management area of banking and has over 20 years in the field.  When she applied for the MG class in the past it was for night classes and she is happy she could arrange her work schedule to attend the Tuesday morning sessions.  She also serves as the President of the Tennessee Kidney Foundation Board of Directors, a local non- profit that seeks to raise awareness of kidney disease and provide education, assistance and other resources to persons in middle TN. This is a topic very near to Amy’s heart, as her father had kidney disease and she donated a kidney to him.  

Although not a native Nashvillian, Amy has lived here since 1995 and has developed a strong circle of friendships that she greatly values. Kayaking on the Buffalo River and trips to the beach are two of her favorite things to do with friends, but an ideal weekend for her would start with a cool and rainy Saturday morning with no plans and turn into a sunny afternoon where she could play in the dirt as long as she wanted. 

In addition to the gardening knowledge she is gaining, Amy also appreciates the community of Master Gardeners and how accepting and friendly everyone is. Future classes of Master Gardeners are sure to say the same when they meet Amy Peterson.