Laurie Wakefield is a Master Gardener and a Public Relations and Marketing Communications Consultant. She inherited her gardening interests from family members. Throughout her life, Laurie’s parents took the family on tours of professional gardens, visited orchards and fruit farms, enjoyed landscaping their own homes, and grew vegetables and fruits in their backyard. Outdoor interests, awareness and appreciation were an important part of their family culture. During her childhood, the family lived in New England and she has been living and gardening in the Southeastern, United States for most of her life.
When gardening space was tight, Laurie created many container garden displays to adorn entrance ways, patios and porches. She also designed, established and maintained a brand new landscape and an ornamental garden around a cluster home with a small patch of land.
In 2017, Laurie completed course work and exams and became a Georgia Master Gardener.
Today she enjoys growing and gardening decorative plants and organic food on an acre of land near Atlanta, Georgia, where she and her British-born husband, Simon are renovating a 30-year old home and landscape. The Wakefields spend a great deal of time outdoors, finding ways to enhance the beauty of their property, learn and improve their processes while expanding their organic food garden, where they harvest, nearly year-round in the mild southern climate.
Along with their gardening interests, they have enjoyed global careers and travel. Simon’s parents have been devoted gardeners in England. Over the years, they have visited many gardens and made friends around the world who share their gardening enthusiasm. Simon and Laurie also enjoy photography, capturing and sharing garden and nature images and information as they grow together.
Through her marketing and PR profession, Laurie has helped a variety of clients build and nurture communities that share common interests. She has a great appreciation for the power of the Internet and social media to reach, build communities, engage, educate and encourage. This has been the inspiration to expand her gardening community and launch the GardenZeal® website.
