Interview with Robert Stiffler.
I want to thank Mr. Robert Stiffler for his time and interest with the interview.
What inspired you as a student to enter the field of horticulture?
I have gardened since I was five, since both my mother and grandmother were avid gardeners. I was raised in Iowa and have been involved with agriculture all my life, having worked advertising and marketing agriculture products.
Gradually, I turned toward horticulture because of my interests. I'm not a horticulturist - my degree is in English. But I've been very lucky to have many close friends who are horticulturists and others who are better gardeners than I, who have been willing to share their knowledge.
As a newspaper horticultural editor and weekly columnist how to do you keep your Q and A fresh each week?
The readers keep my copy fresh. Their questions range from toadstools to figs. I keep a check on their interests - and the weather. All gardening is local: nationally published books are great for one topic but when it comes to gardening locally, a person who has gardened in the area for a number of years can usually give the best advice.
Personally, what type of gardening do you enjoy the most?
Vegetable and fruit growing. I was raised during the depression and we had to grow our fruit. There is great satisfaction from being able to grow what you eat. A sense of success.
Whom do you consider the best - published garden book author?
Mine !!!! (Emily's note: Robert Stiffler's Gardening in Southeastern Virginia & Northeastern North Carolina : The Best of 20 Years of Gardening Advice) There are many good books on a single subject, such as clematis, iris, fruit, etc. I don't know that there is one "best published "
In your own garden reference library, list the top five 'must' books and why.
These are the books I use most. Wyman's Trees for American Gardens. The Good Housekeeping Encyclopedia of Gardening, edited by Elvin McDonald. The Southern Living Garden Book. Park's Success with Seeds - also their book on herbs. Perennials for American Gardens by Ruth Rogers Clausen and Nicolas H. Ekstrom. Most of these are old books and out of print but they are still the best. The basics of gardening do not change.
What topic do you enjoy writing about the most and why?
Growing fruit and vegetables.
If you had to choose the ideal place in the world to garden where would that location be?
Anywhere. Wherever you live is the ideal place to garden. It's different in Florida than in Michigan - but it's all good. Probably if there were one ideal place, it would be England or California.
Is there any other vocation you have considered?
Many, but I would not change many things I've done. I'd probably not do it any differently if I were to do it all over again.
What environmental issue is closest to your heart?
Reusing leaves and grass instead of putting it in garbage bags and hauled to the city dump. Also making lawns smaller: more beds of flowers - less grass.
What do you consider the most important aspect of gardening to be?
Proper soil preparation. Incorporating organic matter into the soil and tiling it properly cannot be emphasized enough. I'm always in a hurry and don't do as good a job as I should but the best gardeners I know add compost leaves and other organic matter every year and have excellent results. Another important facet of this is to eliminate roots that rob from the plants you're trying to grow.
Do you feel genetics should play a major part in feeding the world?
Yes
If you had only three plants to grow what would they be and why?
Daffodils, daylilies, and dogwood trees.
If there was one message you would like all your readers to know, what would that be?
Don't be afraid to try new things. And, when you plant in the wrong place, move the plant. Gardening is a continuing experience so don't be hesitant to do or try new things. And, don't be discouraged. Everything is recoverable if you just allow enough time.
Also see this weeks "Who's Who in Gardening" for Biography