Tamara's love of the land and its beautiful offerings of nourishment and beauty began as a young child. Raised on a farm in Oregon's verdant Mid-Willamette Valley, some of her earliest memories were of watching the harvesting of fields of grain. The sense of enriching the land in preparation for planting, the care in tending the crops, the life of a large farm family working in rhythm with the seasons was Tamara's world and she couldn't wait until she would be old enough to drive trucks, filled to the brim with grass seed, to the family's seed cleaning plant. At age thirteen she achieved her goal. Her parents taught her well - instilling the values so necessary for those responsible for feeding the world - dedication, practicality, respect and knowledge of the land, humility at the power of nature, and an ability to adapt to changing environmental and economic situations. After graduating from Oregon State University with a degree in English, Tamara moved to Portland, Oregon and started her career as a teacher. Ever curious, her varied interests have led down many paths from management in Nordstrom's designer fashion departments, to an antiques and interior design business where her love of vintage garden ornaments and furniture, brought her back to the realization that her heart was in a place she had really never left.....the garden. The circle had been completed, and to that end, she has practiced commercial and residential garden design primarily in California and Oregon. She resides in the Alameda neighborhood of Portland.