The Webster ViridariumThe Webster Viridarium
Hi, I’m Phil, the hide in the shadows developer of this website. With the assistance of my equally shy friends Angie and Zoe, we’re doing our best to share our love of gardening with all of Central and Western, New York.
One of my earliest and fondness memories is stepping through the doorway of my grandfather’s backyard greenhouse. No matter how many times I would enter, the smell of the growing plants and the feel of the humidity in the air was just captivating. I was in England then, but my parents brought my siblings and me to the United States more years ago I care to admit. My dad was soon drawing the curiosity of our neighbours as he began digging up most of a grassy lawn and turning it into garden beds.
Living in Western, New York, somehow those flower blooms are appreciated just that much more as the ordeal of our winters makes our horticulture all the more precious.
My wife and I have been living in LeRoy, New York for the last few years and largely building a new garden from scratch. The soil is lovely here and we’ve had greater success than we imagined. I live in anticipation of Spring!
For the past 30 years believe it or not, I’ve worked professionally as a web developer, largely building websites for other people. The primary motivation for this website is to share a subject we love and to see where we can take it. Hopefully we’ll be providing some valuable information along the way.
Over most of those 30 years, I’ve worked for OEFFA (The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association.) They certify organic farms and educate the public about sustainable and organic growing practices. I’ve also recently built several websites for entities connected to Ohio State University’s Agriculture research program.
Locally, I do websites for the Webster Museum and for Holy Trinity Church (both in Webster, NY.)
If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a bit crazy about butterflies and photography. Much of our garden is geared towards pollinators and native plants. More on that soon.
Hi, I’m Zoe. I live in Ontario…not Ontario, NY, but Port Stanley, Ontario, Canada. For a number of years, I’ve worked for commercial growers here in Canada and have previously worked for similar operations in the finger lakes. I still have relatives in Rochester so I’ve been known on occasion to cross the border. If you have any gardening questions I might be able to answer, drop my a line and I’ll do my best to get back to you.